Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff believes Formula 1 will miss his former opposite number at Red Bull, Christian Horner, who he described as was “one of the main cast” of personalities in the sport.

But speaking with Austrian outlet ORF ahead of this weekend’s Belgian Grand Prix, Mercedes boss Toto Wolff made it clear that the team’s “priority” is their current driver lineup, George Russell and rookie Kimi Antonelli. “The direction is that we want to continue with George and Kimi. That’s our top priority,” said Wolff.

Mercedes chief Toto Wolff has broken his silence on the possibility of signing Max Verstappen, as he confirmed George Russell and Kimi Antonelli are the 'absolute priority'

Speaking to Austrian broadcaster ORF, Mercedes boss Wolff has said continuing with Russell and Antonelli is the "absolute priority" for him, and has played down any "big surprises" over the summer break. "Discussions have been taking place over the last weeks and months, so they are all up to date," Wolff said.

Rosberg, who worked under Wolff at Mercedes before retiring from F1, offered the Austrian some advice to drag Antonelli out of his slump. “What I would do in Toto’s case would be signing a contract with him,” the 2016 world champion said.

Toto Wolff is hoping the 2026 F1 rule changes can get Mercedes back to winning ways. But there's much more he must consider too

Toto Wolff has likened the prospect of pairing Max Verstappen with George Russell at Mercedes to Alain Prost vs Ayrton Senna.

Max Verstappen has denied holding any secret talks with Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff after fans discovered that both F1 figures were spending their breaks ahead of the Belgian Grand Prix holidaying in Sardinia.

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has appeared to rule out a move to sign Max Verstappen for 2026, as he reiterated his desire to retain the team’s current Formula 1 line-up. There have been widespread reports that Verstappen could be Mercedes-bound since George Russell divulged that the two parties are engaged in active discussions.

The team principal is an executive producer of this summer’s ‘F1 The Movie‘ starring Brad Pitt