Wolff reveals Russell's calibre made Antonelli gamble possible as Mercedes seal double title

Toto Wolff has revealed that Mercedes would never have taken the risk of promoting Kimi Antonelli to a race seat without the security of having George Russell alongside him, in a message sent to the entire factory after the team clinched both world championships in 2026.

Antonelli joined Mercedes in 2025 following Lewis Hamilton’s move to Ferrari, and in only his second season in Formula 1 he became the youngest world champion in the sport’s history, sealing the drivers’ title at the Mexican Grand Prix. Russell, meanwhile, secured the constructors’ championship for Mercedes in Brazil, despite enduring one of the most turbulent seasons of his career.

Deputy team principal Bradley Lord, speaking on the NU Silver Arrows Radio Show, disclosed the contents of Wolff’s factory-wide email. “Toto made a brilliant point last week: he sent an email to the whole factory, and he made the point that without a driver of George’s calibre, we as a team strategically would not have been able to take the risk of bringing a rookie in as we did with Kimi and take that calculated risk, but a risk nonetheless,” Lord said.

“And that’s because we know in George we have a driver who is capable of racing for and winning world championships. It’s really important that we don’t lose sight of that in the excitement around Kimi’s story and his development as a Mercedes-grown driver from the junior programme.”

Russell had entered the 2026 season as a title favourite and won both the season-opening Australian Grand Prix and the Chinese sprint race, but a string of misfortunes largely beyond his control derailed his championship challenge. Lord described the year as simultaneously the most successful and most difficult of Russell’s F1 career.

“It’s been both the most successful season of his career in Formula 1 and the most challenging and disappointing season for him at the same time,” Lord said. “Each time he’s had a disappointment, he’s also shown himself capable of bouncing back from it.”

Lord also revealed that he reminded Russell in the engineering office after the Sao Paulo Grand Prix that the constructors’ title was still “your first championship” as a full-time Mercedes driver — a distinction that matters, given Russell’s only previous connection to a Mercedes title was a three-point contribution as Hamilton’s stand-in at the 2020 Sakhir Grand Prix.

Technical director James Allison added praise for Russell’s candour in acknowledging where Antonelli had held the advantage during the season, underlining the mutual respect within a team now holding both titles.