Mercedes boss Toto Wolff explains Suzuka struggles for George Russell. Toto Wolff defends George Russell after Suzuka.

Russell, what a setback in Japan

Given the clear superiority of Mercedes, evident from the early pre-season testing, and George Russell’s experience accumulated over seven seasons in Formula 1, it was easy to expect the British driver to dominate the opening races. Instead, Russell won “only” the season opener in Melbourne, leaving Kimi Antonelli to take the next two victories. Now he finds himself chasing the Italian driver in the championship standings.

Although Antonelli showed remarkable race pace in China and Japan, certain incidents paved the way for him. For example, Russell faced technical issues in Shanghai qualifying, and at Suzuka, extremely unfortunate Safety Car timing—deployed just seconds after the British driver entered the pits—allowed Antonelli to complete a nearly free pit stop.

Wolff speaks out

The outcome of these first races led some observers to speculate that Toto Wolff favored Kimi Antonelli, but the Mercedes team principal remains fully confident in Russell. After the Japanese Grand Prix, he defended his driver: “I think everything went against him throughout the weekend, starting with the setup decisions on Saturday, which worsened the car from FP3 to qualifying.”

“Regarding the pit stop, we had to bring him in; otherwise, we risked losing position to Charles Leclerc (who himself had stopped to cover Lando Norris’ pit, ed.). Then luck was on Kimi’s side, who was extremely fast at that moment, and not on George’s, who later suffered a software issue and was overtaken by Leclerc.”

Toto Wolff, however, did not attribute Suzuka’s setbacks solely to bad luck. He also highlighted improvements that both the drivers and the team need to show in Miami: “Certainly, George and Kimi made mistakes at the start, but we also didn’t provide them with the best tools for the launch.”

The internal battle at Mercedes is proving to be the focal point of the 2026 season. While Russell has faced a string of technical and situational setbacks, the underlying pace of the car suggests that the title fight remains wide open. The upcoming rounds will be crucial for Russell to regain his momentum and prove that his experience can still triumph over the raw, fortunate momentum currently enjoyed by his younger teammate.