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Verstappen Dream Dies: Mercedes Crowns Russell, Unleashes Antonelli

George Russell signs on as Mercedes locks in 2026 with Antonelli — Verstappen chase over, focus shifts to the future

Fresh off a ruthless Singapore win, George Russell’s got another reason to grin: Mercedes has finally made it official. Russell and Kimi Antonelli will spearhead the team’s first year of the new regulations in 2026, ending months of drip‑feed speculation and answering the obvious question that’s hung over Brackley since midsummer.

This was never a mystery so much as a marathon. Toto Wolff had telegraphed the intent for weeks — “a matter of when, not if,” as he put it — and Max Verstappen’s renewed commitment to Red Bull closed the fanciful door everyone in the paddock kept peeking at. Once Verstappen said he wasn’t going anywhere, there was no good reason to break up a pairing that’s shown bite and potential in 2025.

Still, Mercedes took its time. The announcement lands a week after Russell’s Verstappen‑esque dismantling of Singapore, a performance that underlined why he’s become the team’s reference point in this transition season. Antonelli, 19, has been raw in places but quick in flashes — exactly what you’d expect from a blue‑chip rookie still finding his feet at the very top. Both are products of the Mercedes academy, both groomed for this.

“George and Kimi have proved a strong pairing,” Wolff said. “Our focus is now on the final six races of the year as we fight for second in the Constructors’, and onwards to 2026 and a new era in F1.”

The only wrinkle is what Mercedes didn’t say. No contract lengths. No big reveal about term or options. Industry whispers suggest Russell’s deal runs multiple years; Antonelli’s, more likely, is shorter. But the lack of fanfare around duration is telling. When Ferrari ties down Charles Leclerc or Red Bull nails Verstappen, they shout it from the rooftops. McLaren did the same with its duo. Mercedes has gone quieter — which usually means options, performance triggers, and enough legal ivy to cover a Brackley wind tunnel.

There’s context here. The Verstappen question never really went away in 2024 and early 2025, when Red Bull’s once crushing advantage began to look mortal. Russell even admitted Mercedes were talking to “the best drivers,” and Wolff was candid: the team explored every scenario. Through it all, the line to Russell never wavered. He wasn’t being tested; he was being leveled with. “Ninety percent he would stay with us,” Wolff said of those talks, “but I also needed to talk to Verstappen.”

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With that theatre over, the slow‑cooking negotiations turned to what teams euphemistically call “the finer details.” For a driver of Russell’s standing — race winner, team leader, and the face of a manufacturer brand — that often means two things: how much trackside commercial time you’re signing up for, and how close your pay gets to the sport’s headline acts. Russell doesn’t hold a world title, but he’s been delivering like a driver who expects to fight for one when the car shows up. It’s only natural he’d want terms that reflect that.

Wolff’s faith in him has been unequivocal. “We haven’t given him a car to win a World Championship in the last three years — that’s on us,” he said. “When the car has been good, he has been winning races.” Singapore underlined the point: pole, control, finish. No fuss.

Antonelli’s story is different. He’s the phenom who skipped rungs on the ladder to land here early, and Mercedes clearly believes the speed is there. Keeping him in place for 2026 makes sense on two fronts. One: continuity, as the sport rips up the rulebook. Two: leverage, in case 2026 throws curveballs and the market explodes again in 2027. If Russell’s deal is indeed multi‑year with options, and Antonelli’s is shorter, the optics are obvious. It buys Mercedes flexibility without inviting a storm today.

Could a Verstappen‑shaped cloud drift back over Brackley if Red Bull stumbles in the next cycle? Sure. That’s how this sport works. But this announcement reads like a team happy with what it has — and confident that its works power unit and new‑era nous will put it back in the title conversation. Mercedes’ hybrid‑era record when the regulations reset is the envy of the grid. Drivers notice that. So do agents.

The next six rounds still matter. Mercedes is locked in a scrap for second in the Constructors’ and momentum has a habit of following the teams that finish strong. Russell, at 27, has taken the front‑man role in stride since Lewis Hamilton’s departure. Antonelli, in year one, has room — and pressure — to grow. That’s the balance Mercedes has chosen: a proven spearhead with a ceiling still out of sight, and a teenager who might be the most naturally gifted driver of his generation.

If you wanted drama, you won’t find it in the words. If you wanted clarity about where Mercedes thinks its future lies, you just got plenty. Now they’ve got to make the W17 sing through to Abu Dhabi — and make the 2026 car lethal.

Because contracts are nice. But trophies tell the truth.

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