Following the 2026 F1 Dutch GP, Mercedes boss Toto Wolff discussed the team orders used and the threat of McLaren and Ferrari.
On lap 56, Kimi Antonelli fitted softs under the VSC from P2, dropping him behind teammate George Russell. With the Brit on old hards, Mercedes swapped the cars once the Italian caught his teammate. The driver of car #63 let him through at turn 1 on lap 66.
As the championship leader cleared off to seal P2, Russell superbly held off Lewis Hamilton to take a really good 3rd.
Toto Wolff on the decision to swap his Mercedes drivers in closing stages of 2026 F1 Dutch GP
Speaking in his print media session post-race, the Austrian outlined the reasons for it. He explained the Ferraris fighting each other so hard in Shanghai cost them a shot at a better result. Hamilton and Leclerc got involved in multiple and thrilling wheel-to-wheel battles, allowing George Russell to clear off and claim a comfortable P2.
Unlike in China with the Ferraris, there was also a significant tyre offset involved between Russell and Antonelli. Wolff also confirmed they would have swapped if it was the other way around, even if the Italian holds a healthy points gap.
“No, I don’t think there will be anything [regarding a potential disconnect between the team and the Brit].
“Obviously, team orders are always harsh. You know, from one driver’s perspective, you can’t expect lying in the car and have a walk-over at the same time.
“But it’s what we always discuss. It was something we agreed on. On the Sunday morning strategy meeting, we’re not losing time with each other.
“If there is competitors building down the neck, we’ve seen it with the Ferraris at the beginning of the year. I think it was Shanghai. You just lose so much race time, you’re losing more points, and that’s why we are pre-emptively trying to be proactive – not reactive – and avoid losing any points.
“Today, it wasn’t a very difficult call because Kimi was running second, clear of George, and that’s basically the order we restored after the stop.
“So completely normal modus operandi and we would have done it the other way around also. So, that’s it.”
The threat posed by McLaren and Ferrari
Mercedes, McLaren and Ferrari have all won two Grands Prix across the last six rounds, with Lando Norris the only driver to take multiple ones. The Brit hunted down and overtook the points leader on Sunday as the Woking-based team with their World Champion driver showed unbelievable pace on the hards.
As the season has developed, McLaren and Ferrari upgrades have moved them much closer to Mercedes and are now proper thorns in the side of the Brackley squad, although the Scuderia’s engine deficit is costing them badly in qualifying.
Norris’ wins at the last two rounds have moved him to within 83 points of Antonelli, with Russell and Hamilton tied in second, 59 away.
Toto Wolff is concerned about the progress of their main rivals following the 2026 F1 Dutch GP, but he is also not panicking as he believes Mercedes can win races if they can deliver clean weekends.
“Yeah, I mean, absolutely conscious of the threat.
“It’s not only Norris. It’s also, even if you have a gap of 59 points to Lewis, that’s something you need to be worried about.
“So this is going to be tough. It could become tighter.
“And yeah, we just need to do the optimal job every single session, every single weekend.
“I think we as an organisation are good enough to win races, and they’ve got two now on track where they’ve been very, very good in the previous years also.
“So let’s see if we can regain some momentum.”
