Mercedes F1 boss Toto Wolff opened up about George Russell’s on-track struggles, how the race would’ve played out for Kimi Antonelli without the assistance of the Virtual Safety Car, and whether the Brit could’ve pulled off a one-stop strategy following their haul of 35 points at the 2026 Spanish GP on Sunday.
In Madrid, the 11-time polesitter missed out on the fight for pole position and settled for sixth place in qualifying. Meanwhile, Antonelli set the second-fastest time.
The next day, Mercedes executed a two-stop strategy to switch Russell onto the medium compound under the VSC and back to a second set of hard tyres later in the race. He ultimately came home in fifth—just 0.713 seconds behind Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc.
Thanks to the VSC—which played perfectly into Mercedes’s hands but ruined Lando Norris’s chances for victory—Antonelli put the M-H strategy to good use and bagged 25 points.
Although Russell had emerged victorious in the first race of the campaign, his bid for his maiden title started getting derailed once F1 headed to China. In the subsequent rounds, he has only managed to claim one more win in the Grand Prix format.
Meanwhile, Antonelli has already registered 8 victories, surpassing Russell’s career tally of 7. The young Italian—who now boasts a gap of 81 points to his teammate in second—is also tipped to win the 2026 F1 Drivers’ Championship.
Wolff on how Mercedes and Russell need to work together to unlock his potential
Speaking in a print media session after F1’s inaugural race at Madring, Toto Wolff shared his thoughts on whether Russell is fighting his teammate or the W17 the hardest at the moment.
Admitting that he is unsure of what’s bringing about Russell’s on-track inconsistencies, Wolff drew attention to the pace the 28-year-old had demonstrated in the final stages of the 2026 Spanish GP when he was chasing Leclerc for a P4 finish.
Emphasising how the Brit had struggled for pace after his first pit stop on Sunday, the Austrian stated that Mercedes need to pore over the data and work with their driver to unleash his potential.
“I don’t know because you can see the pace he [Russell] had towards the end when he was catching Leclerc.
“You know that he was fastest out on track but after the tyre changes, the pace wasn’t there, and I just don’t know where it is.
“We have to analyse it because clearly it’s in him, it’s in the car, and we just have to unlock it.”
Wolff effusive about Mercedes taking advantage of the VSC at the 2026 Spanish GP and pitting Antonelli
With regard to how the 2026 Spanish GP would’ve unfolded for Antonelli without Lance Stroll triggering the VSC on Lap 14, Toto Wolff commended the team for how quickly and efficiently they had reacted to the situation and called the 20-year-old to box.
Noting how VSCs and Safety Cars have put Mercedes at a disadvantage multiple times in 2026, the 54-year-old claimed they deserved to benefit from a favourable intervention for the first time this season while running in second place.
“You know, sometimes you have these calls where it’s not 100% clear.
“With Kimi [Antonelli], I’m really happy about the operation, because the moment from, let’s do this, let’s pit, to go to Bono [Peter Bonnington] and then into Kimi’s ear, that was maybe three seconds. And that was very positive.
“You know, this time around, running second on the road is the advantage. But I think, somewhat, we deserved it. There were so many VSCs and Safety Cars that went against us this year. So, it’s the first time for us.”
Why Mercedes boxed Russell for a second time in Madrid
Asked if Russell could’ve extended his second stint on the mediums to the end and successfully executed a one-stop strategy at the 2026 Spanish GP, Toto Wolff revealed that the seven-time race winner’s tyres weren’t holding up well.
Reiterating that the medium compound wouldn’t have lasted for over 40 laps, the Mercedes Team Principal defended the pit wall’s decision to refrain from waiting for a red flag intervention and box Russell for a second set of hard tyres at the end of Lap 28.
“The question about George [Russell], he said the tyres were not in a great shape, the mediums. We didn’t think that that would go to the end.
“The medium, it was the same stuff. They wouldn’t go to the end, and the better opportunity was not to hang out and wait for a red [flag] or so. [We decided] to change the tyres and get on with it.”
