George Russell has made clear that Mercedes are talking to Max Verstappen about potentially driving for them in 2026. Andrew Benson explores what might happen.

Toto Wolff has signalled a surprising openness to a potentially explosive driver pairing, suggesting Max Verstappen could join George Russell at Mercedes. This comes as Russell, fresh from a victory in Canada, believes talks with the four-time world champion and Mercedes are ongoing.

George Russell is more likely to stay with Mercedes next year than Max Verstappen is to join, the Formula One team's boss Toto Wolff said on Friday while confirming his interest for the future.