Mercedes group principal Toto Wolff has admitted that he stays cautious of the risk posed by seven-time System 1 champion Lewis Hamilton, conceding that his former driver shall be a significant impediment in tomorrow’s Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix.
Chatting with Sky Sports activities F1 following a detailed qualifying session, Wolff defined that when Hamilton is “in the precise state of mind and the automotive fits him, he’s to be reckoned with”.
Whereas it was Mercedes driver George Russell who took pole place in Barcelona, Hamilton claimed the grid slot alongside him in P2. Russell’s team-mate Kimi Antonelli will begin the grand prix from third.
“My outdated pal… when individuals doubted whether or not he nonetheless had the pace, I’ve at all times stated if he is in the precise state of mind and the automotive fits him, then he’s to be reckoned with,” Wolff stated when requested if he was frightened about his former driver.
“That you must depend him in and that is what he did at this time. If there is not a tiny mistake on the finish, he’s a tenth-and-a-half faster than us.
“I feel it is going to play out in tyre degradation and we have been fairly good in the long term yesterday – nevertheless it all is determined by the beginning.
Toto Wolff, Mercedes
Picture by: Simon Galloway / LAT Photos through Getty Photos
“If Lewis is forward after the beginning, that is going to be a tricky one for everybody, so I am actually curious to see how that pans out.” Hamilton left the Brackley outfit, the place he received six of his seven championship titles, for Ferrari in 2025. Though he struggled in his first season with the Maranello group, he has managed to bounce again as he seemingly enjoys the brand new laws in 2026.
The British driver’s second-place end on the Monaco Grand Prix, which was his third podium of the season, meant that he overtook Russell within the drivers’ championship to take second behind Antonelli.
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