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The gloves are off between George Russell and Kimi Antonelli in the 2026 title fight for the drivers’ world championship, and Toto Wolff has revealed why he has no qualms with the two Silver Arrows playing ‘mind games’ with each other.
The young Italian arrived at Monaco with a 43-point lead over teammate George Russell, and the more experienced member of Mercedes’ 2026 driver duo had some fiery words for Kimi Antonelli in the pre-event press conference.
The jewel in the crown is upon us! Who’s your pick for the Monaco Grand Prix? 👑
Russell outlined how the world championship is now Antonelli’s to lose because of his relatively commanding lead at this moment in the title fight.
The comments were later presented to the 19-year-old, to which he rubbished Russell’s comments by asking via GPToday, “I haven’t won the championship, so how can I lose something I haven’t even achieved?”
- READ MORE: Will Buxton pinpoints George Russell comment that proves he’s playing mind games with Kimi Antonelli
Toto Wolff addresses George Russell/Kimi Antonelli ‘mind games’ at Mercedes
Following the conclusion of FP1 at the Monaco Grand Prix, a session that Antonelli and Russell ended in P4 and P5, respectively, team boss Toto Wolff was asked for his thoughts on the comments from his highly ambitious driver line-up.
Speaking via Sky Italia, the Austrian executive replied, “On the one hand, it’s natural for them to battle; there’s a fight for the world championship.
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Rosberg and Hamilton were fighting for pole at the time
“That’s normal, but on the other hand, it’s also important not to take too many risks when overtaking, and we’ve discussed how we’ll approach that for the upcoming races.
“For me, with so much at stake for both of them, it’s normal for there to be a bit of the usual mind games. I like it.”
Following his maiden Grand Prix victory at Shanghai in March, Antonelli asserted that he would be ready for any ‘mind games’ Russell throws his way.
Three wins later, he is now in the driving seat of the championship, which indicates that the psychological warfare will not end anytime soon.
- READ MORE: Mercedes chief admits they have a ‘luxury problem’ with George Russell and Kimi Antonelli in 2026
Toto Wolff also addressed the new winglets F1 teams have added at Monaco
Wolff also praised his engineers for the level of ‘ingenuity’ they have shown with the Monaco-specific upgrades the Brackley-based outfit have brought to this weekend’s Monaco Grand Prix.
Due to the omission of Straight Mode at the Circuit de Monaco this year, a multitude of teams turned up to the Monte Carlo paddock with small winglets that were seen attached to the rear wing in FP1.
The 54-year-old was asked about them during his chat with Sky Italia inside the pit lane, saying, “I really like it; it’s great to see that there’s always room for innovation on these cars. The rules are very strict, but there’s still scope for ingenuity.”
Ferrari have entered the race weekend as the overwhelming favourites in the F1 paddock, but Mercedes fans can be encouraged by their team’s desire to eke out as much performance as they possibly can at a circuit where downforce is so crucial.
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