Though unwilling to give a date, Toto Wolff insists that George Russell will be remaining with Mercedes.

Out of contract at season end, one would think that Mercedes would be keen to secure George Russell's services for another couple of years, especially given his current form.

However, there is a rather large elephant in the paddock in the shape of Max Verstappen, who continues to carry the whole weight of Red Bull on his back.

Having previously allowed the Dutchman to slip through his fingers, it was understandable that there were some talks, but Toto Wolff then insisted that he was focussed on retaining his current line-up, even though a new contract with Russell has yet to be agreed.

With the German team waiting until Monza last year before confirming Kimi Antonelli - even though Wolff claims to have decided on the youngster "five minutes" after learning that Lewis Hamilton was heading to Ferrari, the Austrian was asked if Russell will also have to wait until September.

"No, definitely not that long," Wolff told reporters in Monaco. "George and I are totally clear of how this is going to go, and 100% alignment.

"There is no such thing as, you know, dragging this on because that's not what we do," he added.

Hinting that it might yet be a "few months" before an 'announce', Wolff said: "If we start to talk about it too much in the media it is going to be a never-ending story. George and I are completely clear how this is all going to pan out."

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