Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff says the team must discuss how George Russell and Kimi Antonelli race each other after Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari win changed the shape of the 2026 Formula 1 title fight.
Wolff’s comments follow the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix, where Russell and Antonelli battled on track before Hamilton went on to claim victory for Ferrari. Mercedes still took second with Russell, but Wolff believes the time lost while his drivers fought each other may have helped Hamilton’s route to the win, according to Formula1.com’s latest update on Wolff’s comments.
Hamilton pressure changes Mercedes calculation
The key point is not that Mercedes want to stop Russell and Antonelli racing. It is that Hamilton’s first Ferrari victory of the season has made the team game more complicated.
Formula1.com reports that Hamilton moved to within 41 points of Antonelli after Barcelona, while Mercedes were beaten in a Grand Prix for the first time this year. Wolff said the Silver Arrows need to look again at situations where their own drivers risk costing one another lap time while a rival is fighting them for victory.
For Russell and Antonelli, that means the next Mercedes discussion is not just about fairness. It is about whether the championship fight now demands sharper rules when Ferrari are close enough to punish every delay.
