Mercedes does not intend to prioritize any driver in the fight for the 2026 Formula 1 season title. According to Toto Wolff himself, Kimi Antonelli will no longer receive priority just for being the championship leader.
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The 19-year-old Italian leads the standings with a 45-point advantage over Lewis Hamilton, who is second. Meanwhile, George Russell, after suffering another retirement in Belgium, is only in third place, 50 points behind his teammate.
When asked if Kimi would receive the favor of team orders, the Austrian director cited Barcelona as an example and replied that “based on what we learned in Barcelona, the mission we set for today is not to waste time with each other,” he said.
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“We don’t want to keep swapping positions and end up with a Ferrari or a Red Bull on our tail, losing a victory as happened in Barcelona. You know, without that retirement, Kimi would have won the race. Therefore, since Barcelona, our priority has always been the race victory,” he continued.
“If the situation were Kimi or George to be ahead, that’s what we would do. This is a constructors’ championship as much as a drivers’ championship. We would never take a victory away from either driver. So, if it were George who was ahead, even if he was behind in the championship at that stage of the season, we wouldn’t do that,” he concluded.
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