Former W Collection driver and Sky Sports activities analyst Naomi Schiff has argued that staff chief Toto Wolff is just not somebody who drivers and Kimi Antonelli would need to cross in staff orders discussions.
Russell was a transparent favorite heading into the 2026 season. However after profitable the season-opening Australian Grand Prix and the Chinese language dash race, his 19-year-old team-mate Antonelli turned a risk to his championship push.
Commercial
The Italian driver now leads the standings by 20 factors over Russell after profitable the Chinese language, Japanese and Miami Grands Prix. His considerably stunning increase in efficiency has now begged the query of staff orders inside the Brackley outfit.
Whereas discussing how Mercedes might cope with the intra-team dynamic, Schiff defined on the podcast: “To start with, Toto could have discovered a variety of classes from the Hamilton-Rosberg period, the one which all of us noticed come crashing down again in 2016.
“However I feel he additionally put out a message saying that these drivers have to keep in mind that they don’t seem to be larger than the staff. And if anybody begins to assume it is about them, he’ll right that in a short time. Now, I do not learn about you guys, however as pretty and as charming as Toto comes throughout, he would not actually give me the sensation that he is somebody that you simply need to cross.
Commercial
Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes, Toto Wolff, Mercedes
Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes, Toto Wolff, Mercedes
“So, I feel that he’ll be very, very clear together with his drivers. And with regards to Antonelli, he is clearly, as we have been saying, the youngest teenager to ever lead the Components 1 world championship, which additionally means he has an extended profession forward of him.
“He is aware of he is bought to maintain Toto on aspect. I feel it is most likely just a little trickier for George as a result of there’s this potential stress round his seat. So does he play the sport? As a result of he is aware of that that offers him extra of an opportunity to keep up it ought to grow to be accessible. Or does that little egocentric driver attribute come out and say, ‘Effectively, that is my one and solely probability to win the world championship probably so do I simply go for it?'”
To learn extra Motorsport.com articles .
