Toto Wolff delivers verdict on George Russell, Kimi Antonelli in 2026 Formula 1 season

Mercedes arrived in 2026 with the best package, as their W17 proved to be the best car on the grid, with Russell and Antonelli making the most out of it, delivering three one-two finishes in two of the first three races.

And while Russell is the de facto team leader and expected to fight for his maiden F1 title this year, it is Antonelli who is currently leading the championship with two wins to Russell's solitary victory in Melbourne, keeping in mind the Briton has had a fair share of bad luck with safety cars, technical issues, and what have you...

Speaking to a select group of media outlets, including GrandPrix247, Wolff was asked about his drivers' performances and whether they need to do something to improve.

Wolff said: “Something we are always trying to instill in the mindset of our drivers is that you first need to introspect. What is it that I can do better?

"Only then can you look outward. I remember we worked with George back in the day when he was a Williams junior, and that was the foundation.

"That is what both drivers are doing, because they have been taught that way through the different categories. You may say that you haven’t seen many mistakes from George so far, but I have seen races go against him that he could have won, whether through safety cars or being stuck in traffic.

"When it has come down to his own performance deficit, which eventually led to an unlucky situation, he has been the first one to tackle it.

"He is driving at such a high level; he is instrumental to the team’s success. He is a great character, a Mercedes driver, and we can clearly see that," the Austrian maintained.

Moving on to Antonelli, who has been a revelation so far in 2026, emerging as Russell's main rival for the championship.

Reflecting on his 19-year-old protégé's performances, Wolff said: "When it comes to Kimi, we have always been very clear in our objectives.

"The first year was about learning, with some great performance highlights and other moments where it was going to be very difficult, and we have seen exactly that.

"Now we are in the second year and he continues to develop in a way that we had hoped and forecast, but at the same time without increasing expectations to irrational levels," he added.

Italy has embraced their latest F1 talent, but Wolff believes too much enthusiasm may be detrimental for Antonelli, who is now being tipped by many to fight for the championship in 2026.

He explained: "Of course, in Italy everybody wants to talk about World Championships, and comparisons to Senna come up, which is something I don’t enjoy reading.

"He is a 19-year-old who is very visible in Italy, and it is more about decreasing expectations and pressure rather than increasing them.

"But he copes very well. He has a great personal environment. Within the team, there are times when we put our arm around him and other times when we apply more pressure.

"Overall, everything is coming together as expected," Wolff, who took the brave decision to replace Lewis Hamilton with Antonelli, concluded.