Lewis Hamilton’s impressive recent run of form to thrust himself in the F1 Drivers’ Championship race will lead Mercedes to rethink their strategy, with team boss Toto Wolff admitting the threat of the seven-time world champion changes the outlook.
Hamilton impressively earned his first win at Ferrari in the recent Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix, where Kimi Antonelli’s late retirement when running second meant the veteran Brit cut his lead in the title race to 41 points, while George Russell fell nine points behind his countryman despite a podium finish.
It was Mercedes’ first race-day defeat of the season and what looked set to be a championship battle between Antonelli and Russell, now has the most dangerous of wildcards in the mix, in the form of 41-year-old Hamilton.
Antonelli and Russell battled for the mid-race lead in Barcelona but ultimately both lost time to Hamilton while doing so and Wolff acknowledged that he may have to alter the plan to let his two drivers fight it out on the track.
“We didn’t interfere in them fighting [in Barcelona], because that’s how we’ve always raced,” explained Wolff. “But it’s a situation we need to look into for the future, with both drivers, how to handle a situation where there’s a pace differential if we are fighting for a victory or [we are at] the risk of losing a victory.
“And that’s going to be an interesting discussion, but always totally transparent to the best interest of the team.”
Russell and Antonelli have gone wheel to wheel on a number of occasions already this season, most notably in Canada last month where they nearly collided in both the race itself and the sprint race earlier in the weekend.
Both men have gone on record saying they are happy to race freely without over-prescribed rules but Wolff admits a recalibration may be required, with Hamilton and Ferrari suddenly lurking.
“There is a third party now getting involved in the championship fight, constructor and driver,” added Wolff. “And in that respect, we will discuss internally with the two drivers how we want to handle a situation where we risk holding each other up.
“I think it’s not going to be a problem. It’s just maybe we need to recalibrate.”
Wolff knows Hamilton better than most, having been his team principal for so many years at Mercedes before the move to Ferrari in 2025.
Before his race win in Barcelona, Hamilton had claimed back-to-back second-place finishes to send a warning of his threat and Wolff confessed he would rather his former charge – who he helped claim six of his seven world titles – wasn’t in the mix.
“I’d rather not fight with him for a title because I know what he’s capable of,” Wolff acknowledged. “If he smells blood, he goes [for it].
“I’ve seen it many years where suddenly the Lewis Hamilton train started to go and then it’s very difficult to stop it.”
