Toto Wolff ‘superstitious’ over Kimi Antonelli chances despite sizeable lead
Kimi Antonelli has won six races in the first half of 2026.
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff believes it is “too early to say” whether Kimi Antonelli is the title favourite, saying he is instead keeping a “superstitious” mindset around the season.
Formula 1 will awaken from its summer slumber at the Dutch Grand Prix this weekend, round 11 of the scheduled 23-race season.
Toto Wolff plays down Kimi Antonelli’s 2026 title chances
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Italian teenager Antonelli has completed multiple career firsts in 2026, earning his first pole positions and race victories, breaking his win duck in China before taking four more in succession.
He currently leads former Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton by 50 points in the Drivers’ standings, with current Silver Arrows teammate George Russell a further nine points behind.
Mercedes has held the fastest overall package of the season so far in the W17, though both Ferrari drivers and Lando Norris made it five different winners in as many races prior to the summer break, as the front of the field has become more congested.
Despite the lead Antonelli currently holds, equivalent to two race victories’ worth of points, the Mercedes boss is not getting ahead of himself.
“It’s too early to say,” Wolff told PlanetF1.com and other media when asked if Antonelli should now be considered title favourite.
“I’m superstitious, even though the gap is 50 points. There are so many races to go, a DNF or two can just swing [the championship] massively, and we’ve not been great on reliability.
“So, we just have to continue to maximise every single day from the Friday onwards to Sunday, and then hopefully at the end that will be enough.”
Another factor Mercedes will have to consider is how the team balances its potential upgrade push alongside the possibility of its drivers having to take grid penalties for extra power unit parts.
Both Antonelli and Russell have suffered retirements through power unit-related issues so far this season, and going beyond an engine allocation of a particular part would bring with it a 10-place grid penalty to be taken, which deputy team principal Bradley Lord admitted would be “inevitable” at some point this season.
More about Mercedes’ F1 2026 season so far
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When asked about how budget cap constraints may affect the team’s season, if potential additional costs involved – such as the return of the Bahrain Grand Prix to be held in Malaysia or the cost of further engine components – could play its part.
“That all has an influence,” Wolff replied.
“Obviously, going to Malaysia is fantastic, but we also have to still monitor the costs that we have as a team.
“It’s not related to Malaysia, it’s more about when can we bring the upgrades – but we are.”
Additional reporting by Thomas Maher
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