Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has named George Russell and Andrea Kimi Antonelli as the team's priority for the 2026 Formula One season. The revelation comes after Max Verstappen was strongly linked to Mercedes.

Moreover, team principal Christian Horner was dismissed from his role by Red Bull, though Verstappen has since said his exit will not have any bearing on his own future. Throughout the entire saga, it has been known that there is a performance-related release clause in Verstappen’s contract which runs until 2028.

Verstappen has reportedly failed to trigger an exit clause in his contract, and Helmut Marko is telling the press that the star driver is staying put.