Toto Wolff has admitted that Mercedes was entirely responsible for the start problem that compromised George Russell’s Hungarian Grand Prix, describing the latest technical setback as unacceptable. The Mercedes team principal was also furious with several lapped cars at the Hungaroring, accusing their engineers of failing to tell their drivers what was happening behind them.
Mercedes nevertheless entered the Formula 1 summer break with a solid advantage in both championship standings. The Hungarian Grand Prix was one of the team’s most difficult weekends of the season, but the final outcome remained positive, largely thanks to Kimi Antonelli’s podium from seventh on the grid. George Russell, however, was once again hurt by a technical issue, adding to the costly setbacks that have affected his campaign.
Toto Wolff admits Mercedes caused George Russell’s start problem
Assessing the performances of his two drivers in Hungary, Toto Wolff praised the strength of both races and highlighted the value of Kimi Antonelli’s third-place finish after starting only seventh.
“Both drivers had excellent races. Kimi did very well to secure the podium in third place. We almost risked being unlucky again with yet another Virtual Safety Car arriving at the wrong moment, but Kimi defended well and resisted the pressure from Lewis Hamilton. It was good damage limitation after a difficult day on Saturday,” Toto Wolff said.
Turning to George Russell’s problem, the Mercedes team principal cleared the British driver of any responsibility for what happened shortly before the start.
“George was exceptional in fighting back after the first lap. His problem at the start was entirely our fault as a team, and that is not acceptable. He has suffered too many issues of this kind. We are doing everything possible to resolve them, but unfortunately this is another incident that has cost him dearly,” Toto Wolff explained.
The episode added to a difficult afternoon for George Russell, whose recovery was complicated when the anti-stall system activated on the number 63 Mercedes W17 and dropped him towards the rear of the field.
Mercedes makes reliability its priority for the title fight
Mercedes will enter the second half of the season leading both championships, but Toto Wolff made it clear that reliability must improve if the team is to convert its advantage into two world titles. The position of the drivers can be followed in the latest Formula 1 championship standings.
“We are heading into the summer break with a points margin in both championships that we would have signed for at the beginning of the season. That is positive, but we know we must continue pushing after the break by developing the car and improving our reliability,” Toto Wolff said.
“That will be the key to fighting for both titles and trying to win them.”
Toto Wolff furious over lapped cars in Hungary
Several controversial incidents during the Budapest race involved lapped drivers who were fighting for positions further down the order and frequently appeared to ignore blue flags. The most striking episode involved contact between Oscar Piastri and Carlos Sainz, while Mercedes was particularly frustrated with Gabriel Bortoleto’s Audi after it held up Kimi Antonelli for an extended period.
Speaking to television broadcasters, Toto Wolff directed particularly strong criticism towards the race engineers working with the lapped drivers.
“Seeing the cars at the back defending is simply unacceptable, and it is not right. In addition, the marshals’ signalling system was not working. We had cars at the back of the grid defending against Lewis and Kimi,” Toto Wolff said.
“I find the work of some of the ‘Teletubby’ engineers sitting on the pit walls of those teams truly disgraceful when they do not tell their drivers what is happening behind them.”
Toto Wolff was so angry immediately after the race that the incidents initially overshadowed Mercedes’ positive position at the halfway point of the championship.
“Overall, it is a day when I am not happy with the entire situation, but once I have calmed down, I will consider the fact that we are going into the summer break with a solid lead in the Drivers’ Championship,” the Mercedes team principal added.
Andrew Shovlin explains Kimi Antonelli’s podium strategy
Mercedes trackside engineering director Andrew Shovlin provided a more detailed explanation of the team’s strategic management of the Grand Prix, focusing on how Kimi Antonelli and George Russell handled their respective races.
“Today was the first race of the season in which we started further back with both cars, so it was about limiting the damage. Kimi drove a very measured race, and we made good use of the flexibility offered by the two-stop strategy,” Andrew Shovlin explained.
“By carefully managing the first two stints, we were able to build a significant tyre-life advantage over the cars ahead. That gave him the pace he needed to return to the podium fight in the closing stages.”
The strategy allowed Kimi Antonelli to recover from seventh on the grid and secure third place, continuing the development of a driver whose potential and remaining weaknesses have both been examined in Luigi Mazzola’s assessment of the Mercedes youngster.
“The Virtual Safety Car was not ideal because it reduced that advantage and brought Lewis Hamilton right behind him, but Kimi managed the situation well and defended third place tenaciously,” Andrew Shovlin continued.
Mercedes investigates anti-stall activation on George Russell’s W17
Andrew Shovlin also reiterated Mercedes’ regret over the start issue suffered by the number 63 W17, confirming that the team must establish precisely why the anti-stall system was triggered.
“With George’s car, we are obviously disappointed about the problem at the start. The anti-stall activation dropped him to the back of the field, making an already difficult race even more complicated,” the British engineer said.
“We need to understand exactly why it happened, but once he got going, his pace was very competitive and he fought to recover important points.”
Mercedes will use the summer shutdown to review the opening half of its campaign before returning for the final part of the championship. The next phase will also bring important decisions for the team, including the Monza choice facing Kimi Antonelli.
“We are going into the break leading both championships, but we know there are areas in which we need to improve. Reliability remains the main objective, and we will use the break to analyse this first half of the season and return ready for the championship finale,” Andrew Shovlin concluded.
Despite the frustration surrounding George Russell’s technical problem and the disputes involving lapped cars, Mercedes left Budapest with Kimi Antonelli on the podium and its championship advantages intact. The full finishing order is available in the 2026 Hungarian Grand Prix results.
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