With George Russell expected to replace Valtteri Bottas as Lewis Hamilton’s new teammܫate next season, ex-Red Bull racer Albon has been linked with the potential opening at Williams.

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner claimed 🎉on Friday that Mercedes was attempting to block 🎃Albon from joining Williams, something Wolff later denied.

However, speaking after qualifying for the Dutch Grand Prix, Wolff admitted Mercedes would expect Albon to be completely “free” from his Red Bull contract if he was to drive ☂for its customer team.

“It’s one thing about the power unit and I think Albon, as I said yest𝐆erday, is a driver that deserves a seat in Formula 1,” Wolff said. “But it’s tricky to have a 100% Red Bull driver on a Mercedes power unit.

“So, happy to work with him, as long as they let him free from his Red Bull contract. And on the other side, we’re suppo𓆏rting Nyck de Vಞries obviously, and he’s in talks with Williams, to get the seat there. So there are quite some balls in the air.”

Horner also suggested that Mercedes personnel had been calling Albon directly to try and put him off his “preference” of returnin𒆙g to the grid with Williams.

A🉐sked to shed some light on what Horner meant by his comments, Wolff said: “Alex is in regular contact with Gwen Lagrue, who is running our Mercedes junior programme, and they were discussing with James Vowles, our head of strategy, the opportunities for next year.

“Things get always… tweaked, in a way. He wasn’t told to do or not do anything, it was just exploring the opꦉportunities for Alex and for Nyck in an ami✅cable way between Alex and the group.”

Wolff also confirmed there would be no contractual stumbling blocks standing in the way of Mercedes Formula E world champion🎃 Nyck de Vries driving for Ferrari-♐powered Alfa Romeo.

“Nyck is his own free agent,” Wolff explained. “He is a Mercedes works driveꦉr in Formula E, but I will never stand in the way for Nyck to drive in Formula🍒 1.

“We have no management contract with him, neither do we have an option of taking him back♎ in. Therefore, Nyck can drive in anything.”