Mercedes F1 stars George Russell and Kimi Antonelli sent stern warning by boss Toto Wolff

Mercedes

Mercedes F1 stars George Russell and Kimi Antonelli sent stern warning by boss Toto Wolff

Will Mercedes have another Rosberg vs Hamilton on their hands?

Sheona Mountford F1 Journalist

Motorsport journalist working in F1 since 2024.

Wednesday 22 April 2026 19:45

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Mercedes F1 team principal Toto Wolff has sent a stern warning to his drivers George Russell and Kimi Antonelli should the 2026 title fight become fiery.

With Mercedes the dominant team thus far in 2026, it's expected to be a two-horse race out front with Antonelli and Russell, with both drivers victorious in the opening three rounds of the season.

While it is youngster Antonelli in the lead of the drivers' standings, the more experienced Russell is being urged to not let his team-mate gain further confidence and stamp his authority when the racing returns in Miami.

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The pair themselves expect their title rivalry to be largely harmonious, but everybody knows that Mercedes have a history of a fierce inter-team rivalry.

The time Wolff fired Hamilton and Rosberg

Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg proved to be quite the headache for Wolff from 2014 to 2016, especially when their rivalry boiled over at the 2016 Spanish Grand Prix, where the pair crashed into each other.

Wolff recently revealed that he fired both drivers after the crash, stating to The Athletic: "I called my chief executive officer, Dieter Zetsche, and said, 'Listen, you need to sign something.' And he called me back and said, 'You’re making both drivers redundant?' And I said, 'Yeah, because otherwise they won’t understand how important it is to the interest of the brand and the team above their own.'

Explaining his decision, he added: "[Wolff said] 'People who need to repay their mortgages who work in the factories, what do they think? That you two crash into each other because you don’t like each other? And it directly affects the lives of two and a half thousand people. Who do you think you are?' And that’s an important understanding that you need to have with your drivers."

Now, he's thrown a similar warning Antonelli and Russell's way.

Wolff warns Antonelli and Russell about team-mate rivalry

Speaking to the media, Wolff re-confirmed that no driver is bigger than the team at Mercedes and while his drivers are free to race in 2026, there are expectations to not crash.

"The oddity in Formula 1 is that the two teammates are also the biggest competitors," he explained.

“And we’ve learned a lot over the last 10-plus years in how to best handle these situations. But best handled means also letting them race and acknowledging the fact that they race. There are certain values that we stand for in the team.

"The team is always bigger than the drivers. It is Mercedes, one of the most formidable brands in the world, the best car brand in the world.

"We race for 150,000 people that work for us. A company that exists for more than 120 years. And that having the opportunity to race, to be one of the few selected racers for Mercedes also comes with a responsibility for racing for Mercedes."

"The moment the driver feels like this is all about him, that’s not the mindset that we would ever allow, accept them in the team.

“And we’ve done that in the past. I would rather have only one car driving if that wasn’t clear. But I think it will never come to the point because our drivers have been so long in the Mercedes family that they are part of that mindset and this philosophical approach and the legacy that they represent."

F1 Mercedes George Russell Toto Wolff Kimi Antonelli