Wolff reveals why he sent a factory-wide email after Antonelli's 2026 title win

Toto Wolff has opened up about the lengthy internal email he sent to Mercedes staff following Kimi Antonelli’s 2026 Formula 1 world championship victory in Mexico City — a message that found its way online after communications chief Bradley Lord decided it was too good to keep private.

Speaking during the Free Practice 3 session at the Brazilian Grand Prix, Wolff was quizzed about the email after presenter Simon Lazenby confirmed he had read it in full. The Mercedes team principal responded with characteristic dry humour, joking that the last time he had written anything that long was “under severe pressure in school.”

But behind the self-deprecation lay a genuine emotional impulse. In the hours after Antonelli’s title win, Wolff found himself inundated with congratulatory messages praising his decision to hand the Italian teenager the seat vacated by Lewis Hamilton. Rather than accept the credit, he felt compelled to redirect it.

“I got so much praise on that Sunday night about giving him the opportunity,” Wolff explained. “And it’s something that makes you very proud. But I felt I needed to give credit to all the people that maybe weren’t so much in the spotlight.”

Antonelli’s path to the championship was far from straightforward. The 2025 season brought a difficult slump for the young driver, and Wolff was keen to acknowledge the engineers, strategists, and mentors who guided him through it. “There are many more that were part of the decision-making process and getting him to where he was,” Wolff said. “That’s why I felt like I need to at least express my gratitude to the big team.”

The email remained an internal factory memo until Lord, Mercedes’ deputy team principal and communications lead, apparently concluded the message deserved a wider audience and shared it beyond the company inbox. Wolff did not appear to hold it against him.