Toto Wolff is cautious about Mercedes’s strong start to the new F1 season and is wary of the “political knives” which could play a part in the early phase of the year.
Mercedes have dominated the first two rounds of the 2026 campaign, with George Russell triumphant from pole in Australia and winning the sprint race in China, before Kimi Antonelli claimed his first grand prix win in Shanghai. Both drivers occupy the top two spots in the driver standings at this early stage.
Yet given the new regulations, with some teams adapting better than others to a car where engine power and energy management are critical, the development curves for teams will be steep, particularly in the opening few months.
A new directive on the engine compression row, which overshadowed the pre-season period, comes into play in June, while one of three Additional Development and Upgrade Opportunities (ADUO) windows will be implemented after the Monaco GP in June. This allows teams judged to be at least 2% behind the best-engine manufacturer the chance to catch up mid-season.
Having been in the sport for over a decade, Wolff is all too aware that things can quickly change, saying: "We have a good car, at this stage, that is capable of winning. Let's see what kind of political knives are going to come out in the next few weeks and months.
“But at the moment, it's a car that is capable of winning."
Wolff is also wary about piling too much pressure on 19-year-old Antonelli, whose popularity has shone through, given the warm reaction to his inaugural win.
Wolff added: “He's always been someone who is able to capture a room and capture people for himself. He's quite affectionate.
"It's a little bit of an Italian thing, but he's able to take people on his journey with him, with being very warm. That's why he has so great relationships in the team.
"The mechanics love him, and the engineering, the communications people, marketing. But in a way, we also need to shield him from that, because people take advantage because he really struggles to say no."
The next race is the Japanese Grand Prix (27-29 March) this weekend.
