George Russell will "sleep well" during F1's summer break over his Mercedes F1 future, says boss Toto Wolff.
Russell is currently out of contract with Mercedes at the end of the 2025 season and talks over a fresh deal have not yielded a positive result for the Briton, as the team tries to sign Max Verstappen for '26.
Team-mate Kimi Antonelli's agreement also expires at the end of the current campaign, but it is Russell who had been expected to make way if Verstappen was signed.
However, Wolff's interest in signing the reigning world champion appears to have cooled for 2026, stating that his "absolute priority" is to continue with a Russell-Antonelli line-up as Verstappen looks set to stay with Red Bull for the first year of F1's sweeping regulation change.
As for Russell, Wolff believes Russell will be able to relax and "sleep well" over the looming summer shutdown.
"As a driver, he is so mature and stable that I don't think it makes any difference to his performance," Wolff told Sky Sports F1 of the uncertainty around Russell's position.
"On the contrary, I would have wished to have him in a safe place a little bit earlier, but we haven't managed to do that.
"But I am optimistic that he is going to sleep well over the summer break."
The latest round of Verstappen-to-Mercedes rumours was started in earnest by Russell during a recent interview, where he revealed discussions were taking place.
Addressing that, Wolff felt Russell wanted to show he was 'in the know' about the full situation.
"He triggered the whole media avalanche, and I might be naive, but I try to be transparent with the drivers," he added.
"I said to him: 'Listen, I have the obligation of exploring what Max is going to do in the next few years,' and I think he just came out with it, wanting to show: 'I am aware of what is going on and there is nothing happening behind my back,' and I am fine with that."
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