Verstappen Rumours: The Unexpected Clash Between Russell and Marko

Jun.28 -  It is "respect" for Mercedes that has caused Toto Wolff to leave the door open for Max Verstappen for 2026.

Rumours that the quadruple world champion may be back in talks with the Mercedes team boss and co-owner were re-fired in Austria by George Russell.

"What did Russell say now?" a frustrated Red Bull advisor Dr Helmut Marko exclaimed at the Red Bull Ring.

It is understandable that the on-form Russell is making clear that talks between Mercedes and Wolff are taking place, as he would therefore need to find an alternative seat.

Still, Marko is not impressed.

"Russell talks too much.  I thought he already had a contract," the Austrian quipped.

"This is the result of what happened in Montreal.  That victory actually damaged him.  We can't really take this seriously.  Russell simply talks too much."

However, Wolff and 27-year-old Verstappen have not stopped the rumours either, with the Red Bull driver refusing to categorically commit to his current team for next year.

"Define 'flirting, '" said Wolff when asked the obvious question by a journalist.

"There is no 'flirt' in that sense.  It depends how you act.  You can flirt, or you can have conversations."

It seems impossible that Wolff would oust his 18-year-old protege Kimi Antonelli after a single season, and he reiterated on Friday that he sees the Italian as a "future champion".

However, Wolff also will not rule out a Russell-Verstappen pairing.

"I can imagine every lineup," the Austrian insisted.  "I had (Nico) Rosberg and (Lewis) Hamilton fighting for a world championship, so everything else after that is easy."

As for 'flirting' with Verstappen, Wolff is unapologetic.

"We are happy with our drivers," he told Sky Italia after the official FIA press conference, "but with a company like Mercedes and out of respect for everyone, you have to look at all the opportunities - even more so if it's a four-time world champion."

From Marko's perspective, however, nothing will change for 2026.

"The fact is that Max has been driving for us his entire career, and he just feels comfortable in the team," he said.

"However, we have fallen behind McLaren so we have to make sure that we build a car again with which he can fight for victories on his own.  The current situation, though, is that Max stays with us."

Red Bull team boss Christian Horner, meanwhile, told Viaplay: "We don't pay any attention to all of this.

"For now, it's just rumours.  We know exactly where we stand with Max.  The rest is mainly just a lot of noise."

About the author

Victor R.

Victor R. López is a Venezuelan journalist from Tumeremo who focuses on Formula 1 and motorsport. He covers driver news, race weekends and key stories from across the sport for F1-Fansite.com.

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