Toto Wolff confirms George Russell contract agreement amid Max Verstappen Mercedes rumours

Toto Wolff insists he is in "100 percent alignment" with over the Brit's future. That's despite persistent rumours suggesting the Silver Arrows could offer a new home to if the Dutchman were to quit .

Mercedes are unlikely to let teenage starlet go under any circumstances and so the focus has been on Russell's future. The 27-year-old is out of contract at the end of the year and, with Verstappen potentially available, the Brit's future with the team has been in some doubt.

But hinted a contract extension for Russell is little more than a formality. He said: "George and I are totally clear about how this is going to go – there is 100 percent alignment. There is no such thing as dragging this on, because that is not what we do."

Russell has enjoyed an impressive start to the season after stepping out of the shadow of . In his new-found position as undisputed team leader at Mercedes, the Brit finished in the top five in each of the first six Grands Prix, scoring four podiums along the way.

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He qualified third at Imola last Sunday but Mercedes struggled for race pace and he dropped to seventh by the end. It was an even worse weekend for Italian teenager Antonelli who qualified 13th as he struggled with the demands placed upon him at his first home race.

The 18-year-old admitted after the race, which he failed to finish because of a mechanical problem, that . And Wolff, who missed that race to attend his son's graduation in California, said: "This is a learning process. In Imola, it was probably the perfect storm because it's where he lives, his home track, his school, family, local football club.

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"All the people who helped throughout his career, everybody wanted to have a little bit of Kimi and, even as early as Friday, he was just toast. I spoke to him on Saturday and he said he was out of energy. It's clear he is still young and he wanted to say thank you to everyone who participated, he doesn't want to be unfriendly to friends, family, fans.

"The guidance I gave to him was, at a certain stage, you need to [be unfriendly] – you need to protect yourself, hide yourself in the engineering room on Sunday and everything else comes second. I think all of us together, the family, we realise that it was too much and this mistake we will not repeat."

Antonelli got his first taste of driving an F1 car in Monaco yesterday. Wolff was pleased with what he saw but conceded that the youngster is at a clear disadvantage compared to other drivers representing the top teams.

The Austrian said: "Driving the car here fast needs experience. Laps are important, just to put them in and make him learn. But I have no doubt that, by qualifying, he is going to be dialled in. Obviously, never on the level of the more senior drivers who know their way around blindly."