Toto Wolff said Mercedes may reconsider its permissive stance toward brothers‑in‑arms after the Barcelona Grand Prix because Lewis Hamilton’s late‑season surge threatens a title upset.
Team orders could change after a costly battle
Mercedes stacked six straight victories early in 2026, but a drop in performance left Kimi Antonelli sliding and Lewis Hamilton catching up from behind. During Barcelona, Westminster rules held, yet Wolff estimated the internal standoff cost the team “five or six seconds” of race time. The team now plans a closed‑door review of whether to intervene when one driver is demonstrably faster.
“When you are fighting another car, you can’t always let the faster one go,” Wolff said, noting that the “two of them fighting” benefited rival cars like Lando Norris by keeping Mercedes in check.
Strict points race as Hamilton resurges
Antonelli remains championship leader, but the six‑time champion’s eleven‑point cushion has become slimmer after a victory in Barcelona and a podium in Canada. Wolff notes Hamilton sits 41 points back behind Antonelli, nine ahead of teammate George Russell, as Ferrari’s upgrade moved the Scuderia back into the topsort.
“He smells blood and hits hard,” Hamilton said, underscoring the need for flawless performance and decisive strategy if he is to keep pace in the standings.
Former teammate Nico Rosberg added that Mercedes may have been too “kind” to Russell in the race, arguing that at a point where the team risked losing the victory, players must have driven for the win, citing the 2016 Monaco season as an example.
Wolff’s revelations suggest the Black‑Blue team may finally be willing to enforce stricter intra‑team dynamics in the final phase of the championship, a move that could change how Mercedes approaches future races.
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