Russell: I will be competing for Mercedes in 2027.

      "There will be no announcement."

      George Russell has nearly confirmed his continuation at Mercedes for the next season, which seems to close the chapter on the ongoing rumors linking Max Verstappen to the Brackley team. Corriere della Sera stated that both parties have activated an option in Russell's contract, with an official announcement anticipated shortly. Russell effectively endorsed this report on Thursday at the Red Bull Ring, saying, "There will be no announcement, but I will be racing here next year, 100 percent."

      This confirmation likely puts an end to speculation about Verstappen joining Mercedes in 2027, especially after months of rumors and recent discussions between the Dutch driver's team and Toto Wolff. Russell acknowledged that Barcelona acted as a "reality check" following Lewis Hamilton's victory over Ferrari.

      "We’ve only introduced one upgrade this season so far. We have more in development, but Ferrari and McLaren are consistently bringing updates in every few races. We need to continue striving forward," Russell stated. When questioned about whether Mercedes should be implementing updates more vigorously, Russell answered, "It's very challenging these days due to the cost cap. They may have a different strategy, conserving funds elsewhere to invest more in upgrades. It's a balance, and ultimately, we’re still the team to beat."

      Championship leader Kimi Antonelli noted that Mercedes has altered its strategy regarding team orders after Barcelona, where Toto Wolff acknowledged that letting the two drivers race might have cost them the win. "We had a meeting about it, and Toto was very clear," Antonelli shared. "If we find ourselves in situations like Barcelona, under pressure from competitors, team orders will be implemented, especially if one of the cars is performing better. However, if we are racing against each other without pressure from rivals, we can race freely, as we did in Montreal."

      In addition, Mercedes is set to introduce an updated battery package in Austria to address recent reliability issues. "We’re bringing a new battery pack with upgrades to Austria to resolve the problem," Antonelli explained. "We hope it’ll suffice to rectify the situation. A solution needed to be found swiftly." He emphasized that these changes are focused on reliability, not enhancing outright speed. "It’s not an update aimed at boosting our performance," the championship leader stated. "There might be some hardware adjustments as well, but it’s primarily a reliability update."

      Meanwhile, it has been reported that the FIA has instructed Mercedes to adjust its contentious new diffuser after Ferrari requested clarification on the design. According to reports from Italy and Germany, the FIA plans to issue a technical clarification necessitating minor modifications to the floor, although Mercedes does not anticipate any significant impact on performance.