Toto Wolff delivers blunt 'not right' stance as Mercedes drivers await contract extensions

Toto Wolff is adamant that providing George Russell and Kimi Antonelli the security of long-term contracts at Mercedes will not make them any quicker.

The team principal of the Brackley-based squad insists that any driver who claims they would be faster with the benefit of a multi-year deal does not have the "right" mindset.

Whilst the eight-time constructors' champion is in the process of re-upping with its two drivers - on what are expected to be one-plus-one terms with a team option - Mercedes has yet to officially announce their extensions.

Wolff did confirm the team would be continuing with Russell and Antonelli, but the formalities have dragged on longer than anticipated.

It has led to considerable intrigue surrounding the situation, which has also not been helped by the Austrian's prolonged interest in Max Verstappen, something that has been a factor in Mercedes' immediate driver plans.

The 53-year-old engaged in talks with the four-time F1 drivers' champion prior to the summer break, but with the Red Bull driver staying put in Milton Keynes for the 2026 season, Russell and Antonelli are expected to be retained on short-term deals.

However, Wolff maintains that approach has always been a "Mercedes pattern", with it unclear which of his current pair would ultimately make way if he can successfully court Verstappen in the future.

"No, we've always been, in the team, ones that haven't gone for the very long term in contracts, and kept it very short," he told Sky Sports F1 when it was put to him that a driver of Russell's calibre is usually tied down to a long-term deal - and that the current negotiations seem late in the day.

"I think the longest was a two-year that we've done with some options. So, it's a Mercedes pattern."

The British driver has been one of the stand-out performers in F1 over the course of the current campaign, and Mercedes' failure to lock him into a multi-year contract has been met by bewilderment in some corners of the paddock.

But when pressed on why Russell was not extended a year ago, with Lewis Hamilton readying to depart, Wolff replied: "Because we were on a one-plus-one [deal], and that's been traditionally what we've done."

Dismissing the notion that contractual stability is beneficial, the Mercedes boss shared his view that - given the heavy weight of expectation already on F1 drivers' shoulders - it is not correct for one to claim a longer-term contract improves performance.

"I think it makes no difference, because they are anyway under tremendous pressure," Wolff explained.

"If a driver says, 'I'd be quicker if I had a two-year contract', then that mindset is not right."