---
title: "Toto Wolff warns Mercedes not to ‘get ahead of ourselves’ in F1 title run-in"
canonical: "https://readmotorsport.com/2026/10/21/toto-wolff-mercedes-antonelli-f1-title-austin/"
type: "post"
language: "en-GB"
author: "Gary Gowers"
section: "F1 News"
published: "2026-10-21T16:11:12Z"
modified: "2026-10-21T16:11:13Z"
---

# Toto Wolff warns Mercedes not to ‘get ahead of ourselves’ in F1 title run-in

**Toto Wolff has warned Mercedes not to “get ahead of ourselves” as Kimi Antonelli heads to the US Grand Prix with his first opportunity to win the Formula 1 world championship.**

Antonelli leads team-mate George Russell by 102 points with six Grands Prix remaining, while Austin begins a triple-header followed by Mexico City and São Paulo.

“There is plenty at stake, but we won’t get ahead of ourselves,” Wolff said in [Mercedes’ official preview](https://www.mercedesamgf1.com/news/austin-is-an-opportunity-to-respond-totos-united-states-gp-preview?utm_source=chatgpt.com). “The priority is the weekend in front of us: execute well, maximise our performance and take each race as it comes.”

Antonelli can secure the championship in Austin if he wins and results involving Russell and Lewis Hamilton fall his way. The full scenarios are covered in our guide to [how Antonelli can win the F1 title in Austin](https://readmotorsport.com/2026/10/12/how-kimi-antonelli-can-win-f1-title-austin/).

## Mercedes bring latest upgrade to Austin

Mercedes will run its latest W17 specification on both cars after splitting its packages between Antonelli and Russell in Singapore.

Wolff said Mercedes had worked to understand where it “fell short” across the previous two weekends and described Austin as an opportunity to respond. The team believes the updated package offers greater performance, although finding a consistent operating window has been one of its challenges. [Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team](https://www.mercedesamgf1.com/news/austin-is-an-opportunity-to-respond-totos-united-states-gp-preview?utm_source=chatgpt.com)

Antonelli finished third in Singapore, while Russell recovered from 19th on the grid to ninth. Max Verstappen’s victory was his second in succession after Malaysia, adding pressure on Mercedes as the season enters its final six rounds.

The [United States Grand Prix](https://readmotorsport.com/2026/10/19/f1-united-states-gp-2026-austin-race-week-guide/) takes place at the Circuit of The Americas on Sunday.

**Keep up with the latest F1 developments**

Follow the latest [Formula 1 news, results and analysis on Read Motorsport](https://readmotorsport.com/) throughout the Austin weekend.