George Russell and Kimi Antonelli staying with Mercedes F1 team in 2026
Original Publication Date: October 15, 2025 6:18AM
Publication Updated: October 15, 2025 6:36AM
BRACKLEY, England (AP) — George Russell and Kimi Antonelli will stay with Mercedes in Formula 1 next year after the team finally concluded a drawn-out contract renewal process.
In a statement Wednesday, Mercedes didn’t give any details of the contracts other than that five-time F1 race winner Russell and his rookie teammate Antonelli will stay with the team in 2026.
Russell won his second race of the year at the Singapore Grand Prix this month, which strengthened Mercedes’ push to finish second behind McLaren in the constructors’ championship. Both he and Antonelli came through Mercedes’ development program in junior series.
“Confirming our driver line-up was always just a matter of when, not if. We wanted to take our time, handle the negotiations properly and make sure everyone, on all sides, was happy,” team principal and chief executive Toto Wolff said in a statement.
“I’m pleased we have done that. George and Kimi have proved a strong pairing and we’re excited to continue our journey together.”
In June, Russell suggested one reason for a delay in contract talks might be that Mercedes was speaking to Max Verstappen, who eventually confirmed he was staying with Red Bull. He also said that his unusually close contractual relationship with the team gave him less leverage over the process than other drivers.
“From my side, Mercedes manage me as well, so it’s not really a deadline in my hands as such,” Russell said at the British Grand Prix in July.
Russell and Antonelli had relatively few options elsewhere, with the only open seats at Red Bull as Verstappen’s teammate, at its sister team Racing Bulls or at Alpine.
Antonelli started his first F1 season strongly and set a record for the youngest driver on pole position when he qualified first for a sprint race in Miami in May.
A poor run of results in the European part of the season led to Wolff branding his performance “underwhelming” at his home Italian Grand Prix, something the driver said he’d use as extra motivation.
“I’m super excited to be continuing with the team,” Antonelli said Wednesday. “I’ve learnt so much in my first season in F1, both in the good moments and the more challenging ones. Those have all made me stronger, not only as a driver but as a teammate too.”
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