Toto Wolff left unimpressed with Mercedes upgrades despite front-row lockout for Montreal Sprint

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Toto Wolff admits he wanted more from the upgrades Mercedes brought to the Canadian Grand Prix despite a promising start to the weekend. 

The Silver Arrows have enjoyed a flying start to the 2026 season, with George Russell winning in Australia before Kimi Antonelli secured a hat-trick of victories in China, Japan and Miami.

Ahead of this weekend’s Canadian Grand Prix, it was widely reported that Mercedes were preparing their first upgrade package for the W17, having seen their rivals bring improvements to Miami.

On Friday, Mercedes’ upgrades allowed them to dominate the proceedings, with Russell securing Sprint pole ahead of Antonelli.

The grid is set for the Montreal Sprint race… Which driver will make the biggest gain once the lights go out? 🧐

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Toto Wolff left unimpressed with Mercedes upgrades despite front-row lockout

Speaking to Sky Sports Italia after Sprint qualifying, Wolff admitted that he expected more from the upgrades. 

The Mercedes team boss also claimed that he was not happy with their speed, stating they will have to do more testing ahead of the Sprint. 

Wolff said: “I didn’t really like it today, but we’ll see tomorrow. Our speed. Because everything is new, and I expected a tenth, two tenths more.

“We should be happy. It’s the first second, but it’s not a first second with much room. As I said, Kimi was fast, but he messed up his lap.

“The Ferraris and also the McLarens, it’s still those three teams, even Max, but for today we have the fastest package, but we need to push tomorrow.

“We’ll see tomorrow. We’ve changed a lot, they’re small things, but on the electronics, the starts we had today are solid, but not extraordinary.

“Let’s do more testing. Tomorrow it’s important to see how it goes in the sprint. The race the day after tomorrow is what’s important. This is a baby race.”

READ MORE: Lando Norris says he doesn’t ‘really care’ about Mercedes’ upgrades despite Toto Wolff’s confidence

Toto Wolff claims he ‘never doubted’ George Russell after Canadian GP Sprint pole

Heading into this weekend, one of the main talking points was how Russell will react, especially after Antonelli’s hat-trick of wins. 

The Brit has always remained confident in his own abilities, and he showed what he is made of by beating the Italian to Sprint pole. 

Speaking after the session, Wolff praised Russell as he said: “It’s only the baby race but still it’s good to see the pace is there, also for his (Russell’s) confidence.

“But I’ve never doubted, we’ve never doubted in that. Miami was a bad track.

“It’s always clear that the kiddo (Antonelli) is fast and has shown that. I think it’s good for both of them to fight like this. It makes the team faster, and there’s not a lot in it.”