diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index ea59939a9..c95936c2c 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ See also https://github.com/neo4j/neo4j-python-driver/wiki for a full changelog.
 - No breaking or major changes.
 
 
-## Version 5.17
+## Version 5.17 - 5.18
 - No breaking or major changes.
 
 
diff --git a/README.rst b/README.rst
index 8d1ca3660..17b1197b3 100644
--- a/README.rst
+++ b/README.rst
@@ -43,6 +43,16 @@ To install the latest stable version, use:
     install ``neo4j`` as shown above.
 
 
+Alternative Installation for Better Performance
+-----------------------------------------------
+
+You may want to have a look at the available Rust extensions for this driver
+for better performance. The Rust extensions are not installed by default. For
+more information, see `neo4j-rust-ext`_.
+
+.. _neo4j-rust-ext: https://github.com/neo4j-drivers/neo4j-python-driver-rust-ext
+
+
 Quick Example
 =============
 
diff --git a/src/neo4j/_meta.py b/src/neo4j/_meta.py
index 490dc13fc..c18361b93 100644
--- a/src/neo4j/_meta.py
+++ b/src/neo4j/_meta.py
@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@
 
 # Can be automatically overridden in builds
 package = "neo4j"
-version = "5.17.dev0"
+version = "5.18.dev0"
 deprecated_package = False