Toto Wolff has hinted that Mercedes may reconsider its approach of letting George Russell and Kimi Antonelli race each other after the Barcelona Grand Prix, with Lewis Hamilton emerging as a genuine championship threat.
Mercedes enjoyed a very strong start to the 2026 Formula 1 season, winning the first six grands prix, but the streak was stopped by Hamilton and Ferrari. Antonelli still leads the championship, but the Silver Arrows have also suffered from reliability issues. With both Russell and Antonelli losing points following their retirements in Canada and Barcelona respectively, Wolff sees Hamilton firmly back in the fight.
The veteran now sits 41 points behind Antonelli and nine ahead of Russell in the standings, helped by Ferrari’s improved form following its major Barcelona upgrade.
Wolff believes Mercedes could have challenged for victory in Barcelona, as he reckons Antonelli had enough pace to beat Hamilton, but this may have been compromised by the fact Antonelli had to battle his team-mate.
Wolff, who estimated Mercedes “lost five or six seconds” of race time “with the two of them fighting”, says the team must discuss whether it should intervene in future to prevent rivals from benefiting.
“That is something we will have to look at for future races when a new competitor comes in,” he said. “Because when they are fighting each other it is fine, it can be very sporting, but when you are fighting against another car, then sometimes you may have to let the faster one through.”
Wolff indicated the team will hold internal discussions on the topic.
Toto Wolff, Mercedes
Photo by: Simon Galloway / LAT Images via Getty Images
Having qualified third, Antonelli initially followed Russell and Hamilton at Barcelona. While the Ferrari driver switched to an alternative strategy, Antonelli gradually closed in on his Mercedes team-mate around half-distance.
Mercedes chose not to interfere in that battle, although it did warn Antonelli to be careful as he was at risk of receiving a time penalty for repeated track-limits violations. The team also reminded both drivers that fighting each other was helping Lando Norris, who was chasing them from behind.
Antonelli, who appeared to have better pace than Russell on the hard tyre, eventually found a way past with five laps remaining. By then, however, Hamilton was already too far up the road.
“George had an unbelievable beginning of the race,” the Austrian said during his media session after the race. “It looked like everybody was standing still behind him. But then the pace fell away. And the other two stints, clearly Kimi had the advantage. And we didn’t interfere in them fighting, because that’s how we’ve always raced.
“But it’s a situation we need to look into for the future, with both drivers, how to handle a situation where there’s a pace differential – if we are fighting for a victory, [and] at the risk of losing a victory.
“And that’s going to be an interesting discussion. But always totally transparent to the best interest of the team.”
Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes, Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari
Photo by: Rudy Carezzevoli / Getty Images
Wolff: “I’d rather not fight” Hamilton
Hamilton’s form has come as a surprise to many this year after the seven-time world champion struggled during his first season with Ferrari. But after failing to score a single podium in 2025, he has already finished in the top three in China, Monaco and Canada before claiming victory in Barcelona.
Wolff, who worked with Hamilton for more than a decade, has no doubt his former driver can make life difficult for Mercedes this year.
“I’d rather not fight with him for a title because I know what he’s capable of,” he said. “If he smells blood, he goes. I’ve seen it many years where suddenly the Lewis Hamilton train started to go and then it’s very difficult to stop it.
“You see at the end of the road you have 25 points [swing in the standings] and it’s wide open [for the title fight].
“That’s why we can’t afford to not finish and we need to just keep putting performance on the car and on the power unit, not make mistakes, be clever with the strategy and stay absolutely on it.”
Rosberg: You drive together for the team’s win
Another former driver of Wolff’s, Nico Rosberg, believes Mercedes may have been too fair to Russell in Barcelona and too reluctant to use team orders to maximise Antonelli’s chances of winning.
Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari
Photo by: Bryn Lennon / Formula 1 via Getty Images
The German recalled that during his own time alongside Hamilton at Mercedes, the team’s interests always took priority whenever the drivers were fighting each other.
He cited the 2016 Monaco Grand Prix, when he was asked to let Hamilton through in order to allow his team-mate to chase down Daniel Ricciardo. Despite being in a championship battle with Hamilton, Rosberg moved aside because he lacked the pace to challenge the Red Bull.
Rosberg believes Mercedes should have adopted the same approach in Barcelona.
“Mercedes was too considerate of George,” Rosberg said in a conversation with Ralf Schumacher on Sky Germany after the race. “Normally, even back in my day, it’s always like this: as soon as the team risks losing the victory, you drive together for the team’s win.
“And Mercedes actually could have and should have done that earlier today, in hindsight – but it’s always easier to judge after the fact.
“There is no number one [driver] or number two. It’s also way too early [for the team to decide that]. That’s a very clear rule, no matter the racing situation: if the team risks losing the victory, then you have to drive together for the win.
“That was the case in our time too. I waved Lewis past in Monaco, remember? I was second, he was third. Ricciardo was pulling away in the Red Bull. I waved him past, even though we were in a world championship battle.”
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– The Autosport.com Team
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