Toto Wolff has admitted Mercedes may need to revisit how George Russell and Kimi Antonelli race each other after Lewis Hamilton’s first Ferrari win in Barcelona sharpened the championship threat.
The Mercedes team principal said the issue will be discussed internally after Russell and Antonelli cost time while fighting during the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix, where Hamilton went on to win for Ferrari. Wolff’s comments, reported in a fresh Formula 1 update on Mercedes’ driver rules debate, come before the next round in Austria on 26-28 June.
Mercedes Face A New Hamilton Problem
Russell finished second in Spain after Antonelli suffered a mechanical issue late on, but Wolff pointed to the time lost before Russell’s stop as a key factor. Mercedes had been unbeaten in Grand Prix races this season until Hamilton’s Barcelona victory ended that run and moved him to within 41 points of Antonelli.
Wolff said Mercedes had tried to let its drivers race fairly, but accepted the team may have left enough lap time on the table to influence the outcome. His message is not a full team-orders declaration, but it is a clear sign that Mercedes now see Ferrari and Hamilton as a direct title threat rather than a one-off race winner.
For Russell and Antonelli, the recalibration is delicate. Mercedes have two front-running drivers, but Barcelona showed that a hard intra-team fight can become a gift to Hamilton if Ferrari are close enough to punish hesitation.
