BARCKLEY: George Russell and Kimi Antonelli will stay with Mercedes in Formula 1 next year after the team finally concluded a drawn-out contract renewal process.

In a statement on Wednesday, Mercedes didn't give any details of the contracts other than that five-time F1 race winner Russell and his rookie teammate Antonelli will stay with the team in 2026.

Russell won his second race of the year at the Singapore Grand Prix this month. Both he and Antonelli came through Mercedes' development program in the junior series.

In June, Russell suggested one reason for a delay in contract talks might be that Mercedes was speaking to Max Verstappen, who eventually confirmed he was staying with Red Bull.

“Confirming our driver line-up was always just a matter of when, not if. We wanted to take our time, handle the negotiations properly, and make sure everyone, on all sides, was happy," team principal and chief executive Toto Wolff said in a statement.

“I'm pleased we have done that. George and Kimi have proved a strong pairing, and we're excited to continue our journey together.”