Mercedes’ internal dispute in the 2026 Formula 1 season could see team interference throughout the year. Toto Wolff, the team principal, stated that team orders could be used in the title fight, although there is no such intention at the moment.
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After three of the twenty-two races on the calendar, Mercedes leads the drivers’ championship with Kimi Antonelli and George Russell occupying the top two positions. The Italian took the lead after winning the Japanese GP, opening up a nine-point advantage over his teammate, who finished the race in fourth place.
In addition to the championship lead, Antonelli also has an advantage in qualifying sessions so far. The young Italian outqualified Russell 2 to 1 in the qualifying sessions, while the Mercedes car has shown strength especially in fast laps, with four front-row appearances, including the Sprint race in China, as well as two 1-2 finishes in GPs.
Even with the favorable scenario, Wolff made it clear that the team does not intend to interfere at this time. The executive highlighted that it is still early for any decision and that the focus is on keeping both drivers competitive throughout the season: “We are only three races into the season, the car is good, so we need to keep doing our job and give them the tools so they can continue winning and fighting for positions,” said the Mercedes boss.
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The Austrian executive also indicated that the situation could be re-evaluated later, depending on the progress of the championship: “Later, closer to the end of the season, we will see how the points are and if something needs to be done,” he added.
For now, Wolff reinforced that both drivers are free to compete: “At this stage, both are completely free, as long as there is always a margin between the cars, we are fine,” he concluded.
With Antonelli and Russell leading the championship and Mercedes showing strong performance, the internal dispute promises to be one of the main points of interest of the 2026 Formula 1 season.
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