Mercedes launch George Russell inquiry as Toto Wolff baffled by lack of pace

Mercedes chief Toto Wolff has insisted that the team and George Russell must get to the bottom of the issues that have been plaguing him so far in 2026.

Mercedes are set to win their first world drivers' championship since 2020 this season, and it could be over as soon as next weekend's grand prix in Mexico City. However, it's not Russell who will be lifting the title.

Despite entering the season as the red-hot championship favourite, the British driver has been blown away by his Mercedes team-mate Kimi Antonelli, who is only in his sophomore season in the sport.

Antonelli leads Russell by 123 points after another victory at the US Grand Prix on Sunday, where his team-mate could only manage P8, more than 54 seconds behind.

Antonelli now needs just two more points to be crowned champion, and even then, he only needs that if Russell wins every grand prix from here on out.

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Toto Wolff on George Russell troubles at Mercedes

Silver Arrows boss Wolff was full of praise for Antonelli after his victory in Austin, Texas, but as for Russell, it was pure bemusement.

Wolff is adamant that Russell has more ability than he is currently showing and cannot understand why he has not been able to prove it this season.

"George, for all of us in the team, is a champion and has won in every category and merits being put in the group of the very best ones," Wolff said in Austin, via BBC Sport. "And we've seen that last year.

"This year, we see this variability in results. When we land the car in the way that suits him, he's absolutely fine. But when it drops out of that operational window, he struggles, and he struggles more than maybe Kimi. And that is on us."

Wolff: We have to work out Russell struggles

The Mercedes boss continued: "We just have to work it out with him how there can be such a difference in driving, in performance, because George is not half a second slower, three tenths slower than Kimi. That's just absolutely not the case.

"So what is it that he doesn't like? What is it that we need to do in terms of modifying the car, setting it up in a different way for him to go fast? Because it's all about the intelligence, the ability, the determination."

Those words will come as music to Russell's ears as he prepares to end the season and head into 2027, but before he looks ahead to next year, he must ensure he secures P2 this time around.

After Sunday's grand prix, he is just one point ahead of Lewis Hamilton in the drivers' standings, while Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc are just six and nine points adrift, respectively.

It's one thing to finish second to your less experienced teammate when your car has been the class of the field, but to finish as low as P5 would be another humiliating blow for the British star.

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Written by

Simmey Hannifin Donaldson - F1 Editor

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