Formula 1 has started a new technical phase in 2026 and Mercedes has already shown strength in the very first qualifying of the season. After securing the front row of the starting grid at the Australian GP with George Russell and Kimi Antonelli, Toto Wolff stated that the team has finally returned to working in conditions that favor its characteristics.
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The Austrian executive celebrated the end of the previous generation of ground-effect cars, introduced in 2022, which brought difficulties for the German team in recent years. According to Wolff, the new regulations allow Mercedes to better exploit its strengths, something that was evident with the dominant performance in qualifying in Melbourne.
Speaking after the session that defined the starting grid, Wolff did not hide his relief when commenting on the change in technical philosophy. “I am very happy that those confusing ground-effect cars have disappeared and that we can finally do what we are best at,” he stated.
The Mercedes boss also highlighted George Russell’s evolution within the team. For Wolff, the Briton took a new step in maturity and confidence behind the wheel, something that contributed directly to winning pole position at the Albert Park circuit.
“George, as a person and a driver, has taken another step in terms of seniority and confidence in the way he drives the car. It seems that this type of car suits him. When the driver has confidence in the car, that’s what happens,” the executive explained.
According to Wolff, the combination of driver, car, and power unit worked perfectly in qualifying. He described the behavior of the new Mercedes model as extremely stable, stating that the car seemed to be “on rails” during the session.
Despite the dominance shown by the team, Wolff also praised the performance of Kimi Antonelli, who secured second position on the starting grid. The executive highlighted that the Italian showed speed comparable to Russell’s, but stressed that it is still too early to make direct comparisons between the two.
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“In terms of pure speed, he is absolutely there. But he is still only in his second year of Formula 1, while George already has nine or ten years of experience. For everything around that, experience makes a lot of difference,” he assessed.
Another point remembered by Wolff was the team’s work to recover Antonelli’s car after the heavy crash in FP3. The executive revealed that he initially believed it would not be possible to get the car on track in time for qualifying.
“It looked like a Formula 1 car made of Lego that had been thrown on the floor a few hours earlier. I said five minutes before the session started that we wouldn’t make it. It was practically a miracle that the car was ready,” he commented.
Even without time to make proper adjustments after the rebuild, Antonelli managed to complete the session and secure the front row alongside Russell. For Wolff, the result symbolizes not only the car’s performance but also the team’s collective effort.
Meanwhile, at Ferrari, Charles Leclerc sought to lower expectations about a possible advantage in the team’s starts. Despite speculations after pre-season testing in Bahrain indicating that the team could have an advantage in this aspect, the Monegasque stated that the benefit is not as great as it initially seemed.
With Mercedes starting on the front row and rivals trying to react, the race in Melbourne promises to be the first major test of the new era of Formula 1.
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