Claims of Verstappen having 'conversations' with Mercedes could overshadow Red Bull's home race

The idea of Max Verstappen joining Mercedes would have seemed outlandish when he fought Lewis Hamilton in the controversial title decider in 2021. Now it's the hot topic in the Formula 1 paddock.

The buildup Friday to the Austrian Grand Prix was dominated by comments made the day before by Mercedes driver George Russell to British broadcaster Sky Sports.

Russell has yet to get a contract extension for 2026 and seemed to suggest that Verstappen and Mercedes were in talks.

“As Mercedes, they want to be back on top, and if you’re going to be back on top you need to make sure you’ve got the best drivers, the best engineers, the best pit crew, and that’s what Mercedes are chasing," Russell was quoted as saying. “So, it’s only normal that conversations with the likes of Verstappen are ongoing. But from my side, if I’m performing as I’m doing, what have I got to be concerned about? There are two seats in every Formula 1 team.”

It would be one of the biggest driver changes ever in F1 — on par with Hamilton's switch to Ferrari — if Verstappen, a Red Bull driver since childhood, joined the team which has often been his toughest challenger.

It would mean working with Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff, who was left to exclaim “that was so not right” at a decision which helped Verstappen beat then-Mercedes driver Hamilton to the 2021 title on the last lap of the season.

Asked about Russell's comments and whether any talks with Verstappen were happening, Wolff signaled Mercedes would “need to explore” future developments.

“I like what George says, and I’m always supportive of the driver, and there’s no such thing as saying things I wouldn’t want him to say," Wolff said.

"I think we are very transparent in the team for what we do, what we plan, and we’ve been like that since I was put in charge of that. So that’s not the issue. And at the moment, clearly you need to explore what’s happening in the future, but it doesn’t change anything of what I said before about George, about Kimi, about the lineup that I’m extremely happy of having.”

Mercedes has yet to confirm either Russell or rookie Kimi Antonelli for 2026 despite both having strong seasons so far.

Verstappen has a long-term contract through 2028, so in theory his Red Bull seat should be one of the safest on the grid. However, the deal has performance-related clauses which could reportedly allow a move.

“I don’t think we need to talk about that,” Verstappen said Thursday when asked to confirm whether he’ll stay with the team for 2026. “It’s not really in my mind. It’s just driving and trying to push the performance, you know. And then we focus on next year.”

Verstappen showed consistent pace in both Friday practice sessions as Red Bull tried out new upgrades but wasn't fastest in either.

Lando Norris missed the first session but went fastest in the second by .157 of a second from his teammate and title rival Oscar Piastri. The Australian leads Norris by 22 points after their collision at the last race in Canada. Verstappen was third fastest.

In the first session, Verstappen was second fastest, .065 off Russell. Piastri was third but the star of the session was young driver Alex Dunne, who took over Norris’ McLaren for the session and placed fourth.

It was another mixed day for Ferrari, with Charles Leclerc's fifth place in the second session its best result. His teammate Hamilton was ninth and 10th.

Dramatic changes to how F1 cars look and perform are coming in 2026, and Red Bull has to adapt more than most.

For the first time in nearly two decades, it heads into a new era of F1 rules without design guru Adrian Newey, who left last year and is now at Aston Martin.

The other leading teams are sticking with their current engine arrangements, but not Red Bull. The team has an in-house engine developer, Red Bull Powertrains, but it's switching partners for 2026 from Honda to newcomer Ford.

No team in F1 depends as much on one driver as Red Bull does on Verstappen. He's scored 155 of the team's 162 points this season.

His teammates — first Liam Lawson, then Tsunoda — have struggled all season. That's helped to restore the reputation of Sergio Perez, who was dropped by Red Bull after scoring barely one-third of Verstappen's points last season. Tsunoda was 17th in Friday's first session and seventh in the second.

“I know, deep down, they really regret it,” Perez said on a podcast this week. “And I know that from a very reliable source. It’s tough. I have very good friends there, and people might think I take pleasure in what happened, but no.”

Red Bull's car seems to favor Verstappen's driving style over anyone else's, but the Dutchman says he doesn't know what makes it different.

“The thing is that I don’t know any better, right?” he said Thursday. “I only know one car and that’s how I drive."

AP Sports Writer Tales Azzoni in Madrid contributed.

AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing

McLaren driver Lando Norris of Britain in action during the second free practice at the Red Bull Ring racetrack, ahead of the Austrian Formula One Grand Prix in Spielberg, Austria, Friday, June 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)

Red Bull driver Max Verstappen of the Netherlands makes a pit stop during the second free practice at the Red Bull Ring racetrack, ahead of the Austrian Formula One Grand Prix in Spielberg, Austria, Friday, June 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Denes Erdos)

Red Bull driver Max Verstappen of the Netherlands makes a pit stop during the second free practice at the Red Bull Ring racetrack, ahead of the Austrian Formula One Grand Prix in Spielberg, Austria, Friday, June 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Denes Erdos)

Red Bull driver Max Verstappen of the Netherlands makes a pit stop during the first free practice at the Red Bull Ring racetrack, ahead of the Austrian Formula One Grand Prix in Spielberg, Austria, Friday, June 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)

Mercedes driver George Russell of Britain in action during the first free practice at the Red Bull Ring racetrack, ahead of the Austrian Formula One Grand Prix in Spielberg, Austria, Friday, June 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Denes Erdos)

Red Bull driver Max Verstappen of the Netherlands attends a news conference at the Red Bull Ring racetrack, in Spielberg, Austria, Thursday, June 26, 2025, ahead of the Austrian Formula One Grand Prix. (AP Photo/Denes Erdos)

Red Bull driver Max Verstappen of the Netherlands attends a news conference at the Red Bull Ring racetrack, in Spielberg, Austria, Thursday, June 26, 2025, ahead of the Austrian Formula One Grand Prix. (AP Photo/Denes Erdos)

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russian drones blasted apartment buildings and the power grid in the southern Ukraine city of Odesa in an overnight attack that injured six people, including a toddler and two other children, officials said Wednesday.

Four apartment buildings were damaged in the bombardment, according to regional military administration head Oleh Kiper. Power company DTEK said two of its energy facilities suffered significant damage. The company said that 10 substations that distribute electricity in the Odesa region were damaged in December alone.

Russia has this year escalated its long-range attacks on urban areas of Ukraine. In recent months, as Russia’s invasion of its neighbor approaches its four-year milestone in February, it has also intensified its targeting of energy infrastructure, seeking to deny Ukrainians heat and running water in the bitter winter months.

From January to November this year, more than 2,300 Ukrainian civilians were killed and more than 11,000 were injured, the United Nations said earlier this month. That was 26% higher than in the same period in 2024 and 70% higher than in 2023, it said.

Russia’s sustained drone and missile attacks have taken place against backdrop of renewed diplomatic efforts to stop the fighting.

U.S. President Donald Trump hosted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at his Florida resort on Sunday and announced that a settlement is “closer than ever before." The Ukrainian leader is due to hold talks next week with the heads of European governments supporting his efforts to secure acceptable terms.

The ongoing attacks, meantime, are inflaming tensions.

The overnight Odesa strikes “are further evidence of the enemy’s terror tactics, which deliberately target civilian infrastructure,” Kiper, the regional head, said.

Moscow has alleged that Ukraine attempted to attack Russian President Vladimir Putin’s residence in northwestern Russia with 91 long-range drones late Sunday and early Monday. Ukrainian officials deny the claim and say it’s a ruse to derail progress in the peace negotiations.

Maj. Gen. Alexander Romanenkov of the Russian air force claimed Wednesday that the drones took off from Ukraine’s Sumy and Chernihiv regions.

At a briefing where no questions were allowed, he presented a map showing the drone flight routes before they were downed by Russian air defenses over the Bryansk, Tver, Smolensk and Novgorod regions.

It was not possible to independently verify the reports.

The European Union’s foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, on Wednesday called the Russian allegations “a deliberate distraction” from the peace talks.

“No one should accept unfounded claims from the aggressor who has indiscriminately targeted Ukraine’s infrastructure and civilians since the start of the war,” Kallas posted on X.

Zelenskyy said Wednesday that Romania and Croatia are the latest countries to join a fund that buys weapons for Ukraine from the United States. The financial arrangement, known as the Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List, or PURL, pools contributions from NATO members, except the United States, to purchase American weapons, munitions and equipment.

Since it was established in August, 24 countries are now contributing to the fund, according to Zelenskyy. The fund has so far received $4.3 billion, with almost $1.5 billion coming in December alone, he said on social media.

Ukraine’s air force said Wednesday that Russia fired 127 drones at the country during the night, with 101 of them intercepted by air defenses.

Meanwhile, the Russian Defense Ministry said that 86 Ukrainian drones were shot down overnight over Russian regions, the Black Sea and the illegally annexed Crimea peninsula.

The Ukrainian attack started a fire at an oil refinery in Russia's southern Krasnodar region, but it was quickly put out, local authorities said.

This story has corrected the day of the alleged Ukrainian drone attack on the Russian president’s residence to late Sunday and early Monday.

Follow AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Emergency Service, emergency services personnel work to extinguish a fire following a Russian attack in Odesa, Ukraine, Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025. (Ukrainian Emergency Service via AP)

In this image made from video provided by the Russian Defense Ministry Press Service on Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2025, a Russian Army soldier fires from D-30 howitzer towards Ukrainian positions in an undisclosed location in Ukraine. (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP)