Mario Andretti says Toto Wolff must avoid McLaren approach with Kimi Antonelli and George Russell

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Mario Andretti thinks Mercedes have a ‘beautiful thing’ on their hands with George Russell and Kimi Antonelli both thriving to start the season.

Antonelli’s maiden Grand Prix win in Shanghai meant that Mercedes have now seen both their drivers win races to start the season.

As things stand, Kimi Antonelli is just four points behind George Russell in the drivers’ standings, and there’s some hope that the two teammates could engage in a thrilling title fight.

A maiden Grand Prix win for Kimi Antonelli, as well as a first podium appearance for Lewis Hamilton at Ferrari! 🍾

What was your favourite moment of Antonelli's debut win?

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Toto Wolff was quick to dismiss talk of Antonelli’s title hopes, suggesting that it is too soon for him, and the youngster’s job on the team is to score points consistently more than anything else.

However, Russell is sure to take Antonelli seriously as a title threat. And if a potential championship battle is on Mercedes’ hands, Mario Andretti believes Toto Wolff cannot make the mistake McLaren made last year.

READ MORE: Guenther Steiner blasts Toto Wolff’s ‘self-promotion’ message to Kimi Antonelli after Chinese GP win

Mario Andretti urges Toto Wolff to ‘favour’ one driver over another in Mercedes title fight

Mario Andretti was a guest on the Drive to Wynn, where he discussed Kimi Antonelli’s win in Shanghai and the implications it can have for Mercedes going forward.

Andretti told Wolff he should outline which driver he is going to favour. Otherwise, he could find himself in the same situation Zak Brown did last season, having to choose between Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri.

“This is another aspect of the season that is going to be really interesting to see how it unfolds there. Mercedes got the more established driver in George; he knows how to win races, and he’s shown that.”

“Now you have this young upstart with Kimi who has shown brilliance up to now, and now he’s put it to the ultimate test, starts on pole, and wins the race.”

“Toto Wolff has quite a job on his hands now. How do you balance the situation? It’s a beautiful thing, just like Zak Brown was in last year.”

“At one point, you have to favour one driver. Otherwise, it turns out that they keep stealing points from one another, and somebody else wins the championship.”

“I see this thing unfolding now in Mercedes, but as spectators, aren’t we loving that? Watching this young talent here really get the job done…. I’m loving to see that.”

READ MORE: Ralf Schumacher disagrees with Martin Brundle comparing Kimi Antonelli to Michael Schumacher

The plaudits go to Kimi Antonelli, but who else in the top 10 impressed you at the Chinese Grand Prix?

Let us know in the comments below!

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Toto Wolff likely to back George Russell over Kimi Antonelli barring drastic points gap

While Toto Wolff has not made any recent statements about which driver he would back in a title race, his comments from last year gave away the answer.

Wolff suggested Russell was Mercedes’ lead driver, and would be considered the internal choice to vie for a championship.

If both drivers are on a similar number of points, or if Russell takes a commanding lead, Mercedes are likely to follow through with that sentiment and back him to win the drivers’ championship.

However, if a scenario occurs where Russell loses quite a bit of steam and Antonelli takes a significant lead in the standings, Mercedes may not have much choice but to pivot to the young Italian instead.

As things stand, it’s unlikely that Antonelli will be a legitimate contender to win the championship. But his performance in Shanghai showed that he can certainly push Russell hard.