Toto Wolff doesn’t want to fight Lewis Hamilton for F1 2026 championship, knowing what he is capable of and that once the train starts, it is difficult to stop.
With his first F1 win with Ferrari in Barcelona-Catalunya GP, Hamilton (115) is now only 41 points behind points leader Mercedes’ Andrea Kimi Antonelli (156). He is only nine ahead of George Russell (106) though, with the drivers’ championship wide open in early stages of the 2026 season.
There are still 15 races to go and even with the advantage Mercedes holds, Ferrari’s reliability is proving to be handful for the German manufacturer. Even though they are ahead, but multiple retirements due to power unit issue has raised question marks about their reliability.
Wolff knows what Hamilton is capable off
Mercedes team boss Wolff doesn’t wish to be in a fight against Hamilton. The Austrian knows ins and outs of his former driver. The moment he smells blood, the seven-time champion will go for it and once his train starts, it is indeed very difficult to stop him, irrespective of the car he is driving.
“I’d rather not fight with him for a title because I know what he’s capable of,” said Wolff in a print media session after 2026 F1 Barcelona-Catalunya GP. “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.”
Chase for eighth title is certainly on for Hamilton
When asked if the eighth title for Hamilton is on, Wolff was affirmative. The Mercedes chief feels they are only one or two retirements away from the Brit taking advantage. For the German outfit, they just need to lower their mistakes, get reliability sorted and continue adding performance.
“Yes, absolutely [the eighth is on],” said Wolff. “We’re so early in the season, the gap, I don’t know what it is, 41 points? You see a DNF robs you of 25 points and it’s wide open. 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.”
Wolff reckons Hamilton has found his mojo back with Ferrari
For Hamilton, it has been a long journey to the top with Ferrari. There was massive support when he jumped ship last year. But the results never came apart from the one in China. There were question marks, naturally, but work continued on behind the scenes at Maranello.
From the get go, Hamilton has been on it in F1 2026. He has four podiums in seven races, which now includes a win. He has more podiums than Russell and Charles Leclerc. Wolff attributes the change to the new regulations, which he feels is suiting the Brit’s natural style more.
He joked that having a girlfriend also helps, referring to Kim Kardashian. “Hard work, and I think this is a car that is maybe different to the previous era cars with the bouncing, with the stiffness, maybe not easy to feel,” noted Wolff. “And this is back to more conventional driving in terms of, I would say, at least aerodynamics and vehicle dynamics.
Wolff jokes about lady luck in Hamilton’s life
“Obviously, the engine management is completely different, but you can see he’s driving strong. The dynamics in the team look to be good between him and his race engineer. I saw him on the podium, on the telly. I mean, that face shows me that he’s very happy. Maybe the girlfriend helps (smiles).
“Helped me to have a partner that you have a stable family life, and they seem to be getting on really well. I think it’s all of those factors that put together the emotional and the personal and professional perspective. If they are in a good place, you win,” summed up Wolff.
