Toto Wolff reveals how he would approach a possible new internal title fight at Mercedes. Both Andrea Kimi Antonelli and George Russell seem to be contenders for the title this year after three Grands Prix, a situation the Silver Arrows also faced during the heydays of Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg. Although Wolff is not afraid to let Kimi Antonelli and Russell simply race against each other, he emphasizes: ‘The team is always more important than the drivers’.
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After three consecutive Grand Prix victories, Mercedes is in a strong position in the constructors’ championship. Andrea Kimi Antonelli also leads the drivers’ championship, closely followed by teammate George Russell. Although the season is still young, an internal title fight at Mercedes seems to be becoming more and more a reality. It is not the first time the Silver Arrows have had to deal with battling teammates, after Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg already fought for world titles between 2014 and 2016.
‘Let them race’
Mercedes therefore knows how to deal with a possible new internal struggle. “In Formula 1, your teammate is your biggest competitor,” team boss Toto Wolff tells a select group of media. “We have therefore learned over the past ten years that the best way to deal with this is: let them race.”
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Nevertheless, according to Wolff, the drivers must keep in mind which team they represent. “There are a number of values that are important within the team,” the team boss continues. “For example, the team is always more important than the drivers. It is also Mercedes, one of the best car brands in the world. The fact that you, as a driver, get the chance to race for Mercedes also brings with it a responsibility. As a team, we do not accept it when a driver thinks he is bigger than Mercedes itself.”
However, Wolff does not think that the latter applies to Russell and Kimi Antonelli. “The drivers have been part of the Mercedes family for so long that they also have this way of thinking.”
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