The streak of consecutive victories has come to an end. Mercedes suffered its first defeat of the season after six straight wins, with the W17 once again hit by a major reliability problem. Andrea Kimi Antonelli was forced to stop at the side of the track on lap 62 while running in second place due to a battery failure, the same issue that had already sidelined George Russell at the Canadian Grand Prix.
Toto Wolff, Mercedes team principal and shareholder, was left deeply frustrated by the outcome. The Austrian manager immediately faced the media on Sky Sport F1 after what he described as a disastrous day for the Silver Arrows, and he made no attempt to hide his disappointment.
“I want to start by acknowledging what is a great moment for all of you Italians. It’s a wonderful time because you have Kimi leading the championship and Ferrari is back to winning. I’m happy for Lewis, I’m happy for Fred and I’m happy for Ferrari.”
Wolff sees Ferrari as a genuine title contender
When asked whether the Ferrari seen in Barcelona should now be considered a championship rival based on its current form and position in the standings, Wolff left little room for doubt.
“Yes, absolutely. You can see that Lewis Hamilton is very strong and that he’s currently in a mental state where he feels extremely confident, and I appreciated that quality in him for 12 years.”
“It’s a great shame for Kimi, especially after that second stint, which was incredible. He recovered a huge amount of ground on the leaders.”
Mercedes reliability problems spark Wolff’s anger
Antonelli’s retirement was caused by an electrical issue related to the power unit, and it was not the first time Mercedes has lost a car because of reliability concerns this season. The suspicion is that another battery-related failure may have been responsible.
“Yes, it’s unacceptable to lose cars like this. George Russell lost 25 points in Montreal and today Kimi lost 18. If you want to win championships, you have to finish races. Having a fast car alone is not enough.”
“From that point of view, I’m very angry.”
“We lost twice today”
However, Wolff’s frustration was not limited to Antonelli’s retirement. The Mercedes boss also pointed to strategic decisions that, in his view, played a major role in the defeat.
“I’m not happy with the way we handled the strategy today either, and that’s why I think we lost twice.”
After Lewis Hamilton’s final pit stop, the Ferrari driver was able to take advantage of the battle between Antonelli and Russell, gaining valuable time while the two Mercedes drivers fought each other on track.
The question was put directly to Wolff: had Mercedes effectively exposed itself to defeat by refusing to impose team orders?
“It’s a very difficult situation because we have two drivers fighting for a championship and we’ve always said that we don’t want to impose team orders. But today was probably the moment to do it because we were fighting Ferrari.”
“Today I believe we lost the race because we didn’t want to issue a team order. It’s an issue that we will have to address, and we will discuss with the drivers how to manage situations like this in the future.”
While Toto Wolff was quick to congratulate Ferrari and Lewis Hamilton on a deserved victory, his verdict on Mercedes’ performance was brutally honest. In his view, the team was beaten not only by reliability problems but also by its own strategic decisions, leaving Barcelona with a painful reminder that speed alone is not enough to win championships.
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