Toto Wolff told to make George Russell U-turn with bold play to steal Max Verstappen

Former Benetton and Williams F1 driver Riccardo Patrese believes that Toto Wolff should consider putting Kimi Antonelli on the sidelines to lure in Max Verstappen, rather than risking George Russell's long-term Mercedes future. Russell has enjoyed an exceptional first half of the 2025 season, carrying his form from the back end of 2024 but notching four podiums and one race victory in the first 12 races.

This leaves him just 18 points behind four-time world champion Verstappen in the standings. Despite this, however, Russell remains out of contract at the end of the year. This is due to ongoing contract talks with Verstappen, who Wolff believes he can lure away from rivals Red Bull amid long-running behind-the-scenes turmoil in Milton Keynes.

On pure performance, it would make sense for Wolff to sideline Antonelli instead, if Verstappen can be snatched from Red Bull. The Italian has scored a podium in his rookie year, but has only 63 points to his name, less than half of Russell's. However, his potential is clearly great, and the Mercedes team principal does not want to risk losing him to a rival.

"Russell has said in an interview that from his point of view, he is a Mercedes driver next year," Patrese told Prime Casino. "Nobody told him anything different, and that Toto had always been very loyal to him.

"So, he's waiting with faith. Kimi Antonelli is also a driver protected by Toto. Only Toto Wolf knows how it's going to be! I am very close to Kimi. I know him very well since my son Lorenzo was karting with him. I am very close to the Antonelli family. I am a fan of Kimi, but if I were Toto, if I have to build the team for next year, I will keep Russell and Verstappen.

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"Kimi looks very promising, but he still has to learn a little bit. Russell, I think, is already in a league, maybe not quite in Verstappen's league, but of course, if you have to choose a driver just below and put beside Verstappen, I should choose. I say that even though my heart for sure is with Kimi."

While Patrese believes that keeping Russell would be the sensible move for Wolff, he doesn't doubt the rookie's blistering pace. In fact, he believes that, given another six months to develop, he could be ready for the challenge.

"Russell is a top driver already, and Kimi has already put pressure on him, and sometimes he is quicker than he is," Patrese continued. "If Verstappen comes, Antonelli will have had one year of Formula One. During the winter, he can sleep a little bit and think about the mistakes he made. So he can digest everything, the things he did good, the things he did bad."