Toto Wolff says team order will apply to prevent Mercedes drivers yo-yoing and losing out to rivals

With every race in 2026, Antonelli seems to be the best bet for Mercedes to clinch the Drivers' Crown as Russell continues to struggle, not helped by mysterious power issues on his W17.

The Mercedes teammates have had two battles so far. The first in Canada when Antonelli was chasing Russell for the lead and ended with the latter retiring with car trouble.

The second fight was in Barcelona when Antonelli passed Russell after a close fight only to retire moments later with car trouble.

In both cases, Wolff saw those battles as a chance for the likes of Ferrari and Red Bull Racing to take points off Mercedes in both Championships.

Asked after the 2026 Belgian Grand Prix if he would not back Antonelli and relegate Russell to a wingman role, Wolff responded: “The kind of mission that we set for today is that we are not going to lose time with each other.

“We don't want any yo-yoing and then have a Ferrari or a Red Bull breathing down our neck and losing a victory, as it happened in Barcelona. You know, without the DNF, Kimi would have won the race.

“Since Barcelona, we would in any case always give preference to the race victory. And if it meant that Kimi or George were ahead, this is what we would do.

“You know, this is a constructor championship as much as a driver championship. We would never take a victory away from any of the drivers.

"So, if it is George who is ahead, even though he is behind in the championship, at that stage of the season, we wouldn't do that," the Austrian concluded. (Reporting by Agnes Carlier)