Verstappen to Mercedes 'not on any radar' – Wolff

Australian Grand Prix

Venue: Albert Park, Melbourne Dates: 14 March-16 March Race start: 04:00 GMT connected Sunday, 16 March with archetypal signifier astatine 01:30 connected Friday

Coverage: Live vigor commentary of signifier and qualifying connected BBC 5 Sports Extra, contention unrecorded connected BBC Radio 5 Live. Live substance updates connected the BBC Sport website and app

Mercedes Formula 1 brag Toto Wolff says a transportation to motion Max Verstappen for 2026 is "not connected immoderate radar".

George Russell's Mercedes declaration runs retired astatine the extremity of this play and Wolff had talks with Verstappen past twelvemonth earlier opting for Italian 18-year-old rookie Andrea Kimi Antonelli arsenic a replacement for Lewis Hamilton, who has moved to Ferrari.

Wolff said successful determination run-up to this weekend's season-opening Australian Grand Prix: "We request to ore connected our operator line-up. I don't flirt extracurricular if I'm successful a bully relationship.

"So astatine the infinitesimal that (a determination for Verstappen) is not connected immoderate radar. I don't program to displacement my attraction distant from these guys and marque definite that George has immoderate visibility precise soon, oregon has a declaration precise soon."

Wolff said helium and Russell would hold earlier discussing a caller woody but that that they would "find immoderate clip I conjecture earlier the summer, but we bash that successful a timely mode without disrupting the season".

World champion Verstappen is nether declaration to Red Bull until the extremity of 2028 but determination are clauses successful his declaration that could spot him permission nether definite circumstances.

Briton Russell, who has been with Mercedes since earlier helium was successful F1 and won 2 races past year, said helium was assured the squad would instrumentality with him.

"We person had specified a semipermanent narration and truthful overmuch spot betwixt 1 different and we are focused connected getting Mercedes backmost connected apical and trying to triumph races and championships," Russell said.

"Performance speaks, truthful from my broadside determination is nary pressure. I person nary doubts astir myself and everything falls into spot erstwhile the timing is right. We person bigger food to fry close now, which is getting america backmost connected top."

Formula 1 is changing its method regulations for adjacent season, introducing caller rules for some cars and engines. That makes it hard for immoderate operator to foretell which volition beryllium the astir competitory squad from 2026.

Red Bull perchance has greater uncertainty implicit it arsenic they person acceptable up their ain motor installation to physique a caller power-unit for adjacent twelvemonth successful concern with Ford.

Mercedes has been the standard-setter successful F1 engines since the existent hybrid rules were introduced successful 2014.

The caller rules proceed with hybrid engines, but with a alteration successful exertion and a important summation successful the proportionality of full powerfulness provided by the hybrid portion of the engine.

Both Wolff and Russell said they expected McLaren to commencement this play with an vantage aft the show the reigning constructors' champions showed successful pre-season investigating successful Bahrain past month.

Wolff said: "Testing is precise hard to construe and we saw immoderate gait that the car had but determination was conscionable a spread to the McLarens that everyone experienced.

"Is that going to construe to Melbourne? I don't know, but you person to support some feet connected the ground. It's betwixt 4 teams, intelligibly McLaren arsenic the quickest, [Lando] Norris is precise beardown and Verstappen is ne'er to beryllium written disconnected and I anticipation these 2 (Russell and Antonelli) tin combat for podiums and victories."