Mercedes and Toto Wolff face criticism in the handling of 'protected species' within the team 

Mercedes and team boss Toto Wolff have come under fire for their treatment of their drivers, or the 'protected species' at the team, as referred to by Martin Brundle, for the way they are treated during contract negotiations. Former driver Nico Rosberg has explained that Wolff tends to "disappear" when talks of a new contract are commenced.

British news outlet The Daily Mail has reported that George Russell is very close to signing a new £30 million contract extension to stay at Mercedes beyond 2025. The report also suggests that the final details of his contract are being ironed out before an announcement is made.

Russell, speaking about a potential extension at the Belgian GP, claimed that a final contract will not be signed before the upcoming Hungarian GP, and will likely take longer.

Speaking about this, Sky Sports' coverage of the Belgian GP, Nico Rosberg explained that Wolff can be a difficult man to negotiate a new contract with.

"Toto is horrible to negotiate with, because his tactic is to disappear. So when you try, like George [Russell] now, he’s trying to get hold of him, Toto will disappear. George will be trying to write Toto to get him [to get] a move on, or whatever, and Toto disappears," said Rosberg.

"By the way, this is not a fact; this is just me making it up. But I remember from my time that was his style, just like disappearing, not answering, being hard to reach, and it’s horrible, because you’re like, 'come on!'," he added.

With reports from Erik van Haren suggesting that Max Verstappen is set to remain at Red Bull in 2026, both incumbent Mercedes drivers are expected to sign a contract extension to stay at the team. If this is the case, the length of their new contracts will signify whether Toto Wolff still expects to bring Verstappen to the team in 2027.

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Mercedes boss Toto Wolff admitted that he would have liked to solve George Russell's contract situation earlier

Toto Wolff at the Belgian Grand Prix - Source: Getty

Mercedes F1 CEO and Team Principal Toto Wolff admitted that he would have ideally liked to solve George Russell's contract situation earlier while speaking to Sky Sports during the Belgian GP.

But the Austrian added that Russell will "sleep well" during the upcoming summer break, suggesting that a contract agreement is expected shortly.

"I would wish to have him in a safe place a little bit earlier. We haven’t managed to do that but I’m optimistic that he’s going to sleep well over the summer break," said Wolff.

Kimi Antonelli had been signed on a one-year contract by Mercedes to replace Lewis Hamilton in 2025. The rookie, who has struggled to find form in the last few races, could potentially have been under threat of losing his seat if Verstappen were available. But the Italian teenager is also expected to stay with the Silver Arrows, at least in the short term.