Toto Wolff has confirmed Mercedes is exploring the possibility of signing Max Verstappen in the future, but insists it is not impacting ongoing contract talks with George Russell for 2026.

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has been keen on having Max Verstappen on his team, which is delaying George Russell's contract extension.

The 27-year-old Briton is out of contract with Mercedes next year, and his remarks bring back to the surface a narrative that always threatened to dominate this summer in Formula 1. World champion Verstappen is under contract to Red Bull until the end of 2028, but the deal is said to have break clauses that the Dutchman could use to exit.