As Mercedes prepares for life without Lewis Hamilton in 2025, the team’s future driver lineup remains under scrutiny, especially with speculation surrounding Toto Wolff’s longstanding interest in luring Max Verstappen to the Silver Arrows. Despite Verstappen’s Red Bull loyalty, the driver market could be upended by Mercedes’ ongoing pursuit of the Dutchman, and George Russell may be at risk of losing his seat, according to former Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg.
Wolff had reportedly been trying to lure Verstappen away from Red Bull ever since Hamilton’s shocking decision to leave for Ferrari, compounded by Red Bull’s internal turmoil—especially Christian Horner’s public scandals and Jos Verstappen’s rumored involvement in internal conflicts. With Adrian Newey also set to depart, there was speculation Verstappen might be ready to jump ship. However, despite Mercedes’ improving form in 2024, Verstappen decided to stay put, forcing Wolff to pivot toward promoting Italian prodigy Andrea Kimi Antonelli as Hamilton’s replacement.
While Mercedes’ driver lineup is set for 2025 with Russell and Antonelli, Rosberg has hinted that Russell’s future is far from secure as Wolff remains fixated on landing Verstappen for 2026. Rosberg told Sky Sports F1 that Russell will face immense pressure in 2025, especially given the high hopes Wolff has invested in Antonelli.
“George is not safe at all because Toto still wants Max,” Rosberg said. “He will try again for 2026 because ‘give up’ does not appear in Toto’s vocabulary. If Max becomes available—and I do think it’s a possibility—then it will be a shootout between George and Kimi next year.”
Rosberg highlighted the challenge Russell faces as the more experienced driver. “It’s a lot of pressure on George because he has everything to lose. He should be leading the team, but Kimi is just 18 and brand new to F1, which puts all the pressure on George to deliver.”
Despite these concerns, Wolff has publicly dismissed any notion of a rivalry between Russell and Antonelli. In an effort to calm the waters, the Mercedes boss said: “I very much hope we go a long time with these two. It’s clear you always pick the best drivers, but as it stands, this is the lineup.”
Wolff also touched on the ongoing speculation about Verstappen, saying: “We’ve had an open channel with Max over the years, sometimes discussing more, sometimes discussing less, but it never came to putting terms together. For now, it’s on pause, but we always aim to have the best lineup.”
With Verstappen’s future far from certain and Mercedes poised to continue their pursuit, Russell will likely face a make-or-break season in 2025 as he battles Antonelli internally, knowing the ever-looming shadow of Verstappen’s potential arrival in 2026.
