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KUALA LUMPUR – Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula 1 (F1) team principal Toto Wolff has made it clear that George Russell and Kimi Antonelli will get an equal shot at the Formula One drivers’ championship, even as Russell’s recent surge puts pressure on the team’s title strategy.
With the championship battle tightening between Mercedes’ two drivers, Wolff said the team’s overarching philosophy remains unchanged – both drivers will be given the opportunity to fight for the title.
“We want to give both drivers equal opportunity to go for a championship but the team comes first,” Wolff said during the team’s media session ahead of this weekend’s Bahrain Grand Prix happening in Sepang this weekend.
Russell’s strong result in Azerbaijan has reduced the gap to Antonelli, meaning Mercedes now faces the increasingly delicate task of managing two drivers with championship ambitions while ensuring neither is unfairly disadvantaged.
Wolff acknowledged that Russell’s points haul has changed the equation.
“With George scoring big points, obviously he’s narrowed down the gap for Kimi.
"And that means we have to properly evaluate the calls that we make on track of how we manage the cars because we need to make sure that they have both the same opportunity.
"Also when it comes to strategic calls, you can never get it right. You can never get it perfect.
"So, there is this additional consideration that it's going to be more important the more we come to the end of the season.
"Why do we create a gap to our direct competitors from other teams? To see whether we need to adjust our thinking during the race. It's not easy," Wolff said.
For now, Mercedes is keeping the door open for both but Wolff’s objective was clear - fight for the championship, but remember the three-pointed star comes first.
With both Mercedes drivers also tackling Sepang for the first time in an F1 car this weekend, the Bahrain Grand Prix here could add another twist to an already delicate championship battle.
