Wolff shuts down Verstappen speculation: Russell is on Max level

Instead, Wolff praised George Russell, who has stepped up as Mercedes’ team leader in 2025 following Lewis Hamilton’s departure to Ferrari. After three seasons alongside the seven-time champion, Russell has emerged as a mature and consistent force within the team, guiding 18-year-old rookie Kimi Antonelli in the early stages of his F1 career.

Speaking to Sky F1 after FP3 at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, Wolff was full of praise for Russell’s performances in 2025 so far: "He's doing a top job. He was a little bit always, I wouldn't say underrated, but people talked about Lewis or Max. And now you can see he's delivering. He's been performing in the car to the maximum and is doing great."

When Martin Brundle suggested Mercedes might be wary of missing out on Verstappen for a second time—after failing to sign him as a junior—Wolff made clear his commitment to the current driver line-up: "No, I wouldn't say that. "I always say I don't flirt outside if I'm happy in the relationship on a professional level."

"I'm super happy with the line-up we have, I couldn't wish for anything better. Max is at Red Bull, we haven't had a conversation, we are continuing our trajectory," insisted the Mercedes boss.

With Russell leading the charge and Antonelli learning fast, Wolff appears focused on building Mercedes' next Formula 1 era from within, rather than turning to the reigning F1 World Champion, Verstappen.