But speaking with Austrian outlet ORF ahead of this weekend’s Belgian Grand Prix, Mercedes boss Toto Wolff made it clear that the team’s “priority” is their current driver lineup, George Russell and rookie Kimi Antonelli. “The direction is that we want to continue with George and Kimi. That’s our top priority,” said Wolff.

Toto Wolff has likened the prospect of pairing Max Verstappen with George Russell at Mercedes to Alain Prost vs Ayrton Senna.

Rosberg, who worked under Wolff at Mercedes before retiring from F1, offered the Austrian some advice to drag Antonelli out of his slump. “What I would do in Toto’s case would be signing a contract with him,” the 2016 world champion said.

George Russell is out of contract at the end of the season and Mercedes have been courting Max Verstappen amid ongoing speculation that he could walk away from Red Bull

Speaking to Austrian broadcaster ORF, Mercedes boss Wolff has said continuing with Russell and Antonelli is the "absolute priority" for him, and has played down any "big surprises" over the summer break. "Discussions have been taking place over the last weeks and months, so they are all up to date," Wolff said.

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has broken his silence on rumours that he recently met Max Verstappen in Sardinia to seal a deal for F1 2026.