George Russell spent his summer break wondering about his Mercedes Formula 1 Team Principal Totowolf reportedly met Red Bull rival Max Verstappen.
The charges for the meeting between Wolff and Verstappen took place on a Mediterranean yacht last month shortly after Christian Horner left as principal of the Red Bull team.
The suspects’ meeting sparked fresh rumours that the four-time world champion, who joined Mercedes next year to break his contract with Red Bull, causing a major stupid season driver shuffle, had broken his contract with Red Bull.
At the time, Wolf admitted that he and Verstappen were in Sardinia at the same time, but stopped making sure they were on vacation together.
“The new thing is people are doing planes and photo collages! We’ve never had that before,” Wolf said at the time.
“But if you spend your holidays close to each other, that doesn’t mean you’re going to work together in Formula 1.
“We’ve always been doing well and by chance we want to spend our holidays in the same place.”
Choice holiday to win a Sardinian Mercedes F1 contract?
Ultimately, Verstappen committed to Red Bull for the 2026 season after three weeks of summer vacation, finishing his short-term doubts about his future.
Now, less than a month has passed, Russell visited the same island for his midseason holiday. When he posted a photo on Instagram with his partner Carmen Montero Mundt, he wrote: “There are no races and I enjoy my holidays. ”
He returned to Monaco on Monday in another post: “Holiday. Back to Grind.”
George Russell
If Mercedes could have invited Verstappen from Red Bull, either Russell or rookie teammate Kimi Antoneri would have been on the chopping block in 2026.
Despite a strong season, including a Canadian Grand Prix victory, Russell has yet to offer a new era contract for Formula 1 from next year.
When speculation about Verstappen’s potential Mercedes switch peaked, Russell claimed that his seat was safe, saying that a change would occur on the other side of the garage.
Wolf has shown that both Russell and Antonelli are expected to remain at Mercedes in 2026, but it is unknown that they will reach the deal.
After winning the last podium at the F1 Hungary Grand Prix, Russell insisted that his priority is a holiday – not rushing to sign a Mercedes contract.
“To be honest, I just want to rest, recharge and get back strong,” he said.
“There’s no time pressure on either side. It happens when it happens. That’s when it’s not “if.”
“I’m 27. I’ve been a team for four years. Next year will be my fifth year.
“We want to build a relationship together, but it has to be right.
“I don’t want to hurry up with it, I’ve been waiting 12 months, so I won’t rush it over two weeks.”