Mercedes on high alert: Toto Wolff expects “political knives” to target W17 dominance. Why Toto Wolff is wary of rival attacks despite Mercedes' perfect 2026 start.

What the Mercedes team principal said

The first two races of the 2026 F1 season have shown that two teams are clearly ahead of the competition: Mercedes and Ferrari. At the moment, the balance even between these two clearly leans in favor of the Brackley team. The races in Australia and China were highly competitive, but looking at qualifying lap times and the gap to the SF-26 cars at the checkered flag, it is evident that the W17 currently has a slight edge over Ferrari, most likely at least in terms of the power unit.

George Russell, speaking at the post-China GP press conference, warned about what he called Mercedes’ ‘apparent’ advantage: “The Ferraris are faster than us in the corners, but slower than us on the straights. Right now, we have the advantage, but we can’t take it for granted because we obviously know that some things will change in a couple of months.”

George Russell’s comments likely refer to the ADUO system—a mechanism designed to assist struggling engine manufacturers—which could give extra horsepower to non-Mercedes power units, or to the new compression ratio measurement system coming into effect in June.

Wolff expects changes ahead

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff also emphasized in the post-race press conference that the situation could shift from the current state: “We have a good car that, at this stage, is capable of winning. We’ll see what political knives are thrown in the coming weeks and months. Right now, the W17 is a car that can win.” By saying “political knives,” the Austrian manager signaled that he expects possible political battles aimed at challenging Mercedes, which has so far achieved two 1-2 finishes and even won the Sprint race.

As the sport prepares for the upcoming rounds, the tension between Brackley and Maranello is reaching a boiling point. If the “political knives” managed to shave off even a fraction of the W17’s straight-line speed, the 2026 championship battle could transform from a Mercedes procession into a season-long classic. For Toto Wolff and his team, the mission is simple: keep winning while the lawyers and lobbyists do their work.

The 2026 regulations were designed to bring the field closer together, and the sudden dominance of a single engine manufacturer has undoubtedly ruffled feathers at the highest levels of the FIA. As June approaches, the technical directives and regulatory adjustments will likely become the primary focus of the sport’s top teams. Whether Mercedes can maintain its “winning machine” status through these hurdles will be the defining story of the summer.