Mercedes boss Toto Wolff says a contract extension for George Russell is "a formality", as speculation around his future continues.
Rumours have circulated around Mercedes pursuing four-time World Champion, Max Verstappen for a seat at the team.
But Russell has continuously defended the team and guaranteed confidence in him staying with the team fro 2026 and beyond.
The British driver is managed by Mercedes, and is therefore under the team's control.
Speaking on August 29 after Practice 1 at the Dutch Grand Prix, Wolff gave an update on the situation.
“It’s a formality but at the same time it’s important to discuss even the slightest details. How can we extract the most performance out of George? What it is it that we need to optimise on marketing days, for example?"
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Wolff continued, "It’s not the amount of marketing days but it’s simply talking about a structure that helps him to perform at his best."
“These are the things we haven’t discussed over the summer because we felt we need to just get out of each other’s face for a while, and we have already picked up the discussions.”
Russell confirmed during media day in Zandvoort that it was his choice to not sign a new contract over the summer break, as he wanted to enjoy his holiday.
But it seems now that discussions are back underway and a contract extension nearing its final stages.
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