Established order
Among the interesting discussion topics left to us by the last Zandvoort GP is certainly the internal dynamics within the Mercedes garage between the two Silver Arrows drivers, Andrea Kimi Antonelli and George Russell. For the first time this season, in fact, the Anglo-German team’s pit wall gave a clear and direct team order, imposing on Russell to let the Italian – current World Championship leader – pass and to give him the second position. The Englishman initially huffed, but then agreed to carry out the order.
Mercedes justified this choice with the fact that Antonelli had ended up behind Russell only because of the extra stop made under VSC conditions and that it was therefore right to reposition him ahead of his teammate. Many, however, read this indication from Toto Wolff as a first sign of choice by the team: Mercedes wants to secure both titles and with Antonelli currently 59 points ahead of both Russell and Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton, the team order won in the Netherlands would be the signal of a hierarchy now defined within the team, with Antonelli as ‘captain’ and Russell in the uncomfortable role of ‘luxury wingman’.
This interpretation was also given by former Haas team principal Gunther Steiner, who when not busy managing his MotoGP team, Tech3, is often a guest on the Red Flags podcast, where he comments on the main F1 topics. Steiner has no doubt that the Brackley team has now made its choice and does not want to take the risks that McLaren took in 2025, when Norris and Piastri risked handing the championship on a silver platter to Verstappen.
“I wouldn’t say they told him [to Russell] to be the second driver – Steiner commented – I think they told him: ‘Now you are here to support Kimi’. I wouldn’t define him as a second driver, but a message like ‘You have to support Kimi to win the world championship: this is your mission for this season’“.
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Wolff’s role
“I think that’s exactly how it went. If you want to win, this is what you have to do – Steiner added – otherwise you risk doing what McLaren did last year and risk losing the world championship. You get to the last race and risk losing the championship. Not winning it, but losing it”. The former Haas boss is also convinced that Toto Wolff’s ‘status’ in the team is now very different from what the Austrian team principal had 10 years ago, when he had to manage the heated confrontation between Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg, which ended with the latter winning the title – and then retiring from racing.
“At the time they could afford it – Steiner said, referring to the dominance Mercedes exerted on the championship in those years – even Toto, in his career, is at a different stage now. He is clearly the leader now. In 2016, it was his third year or so. Now Toto has become a person who, in my opinion, can tell anyone what to do. Back then, telling Lewis Hamilton what to do was different“.
