Kimi Antonelli leads the drivers’ standings in the 2026 Formula 1 season, with a 50-point cushion over Lewis Hamilton in second place, but Toto Wolff avoids treating him as the title favorite. The Mercedes boss remains cautious about the number of races left and the reliability issues the team has faced.
Antonelli built much of his lead with a streak of five consecutive victories from China to Monaco. Still, the advantage could be larger, as the Italian dealt with reliability problems in Barcelona and in Britain, while chasing Ferrari drivers in conditions that looked favorable.
Asked about the championship battle, Wolff preferred not to make predictions: “It’s still too early to say,” the executive said, before explaining his stance: “I’m superstitious. Even with the 50-point gap, there are still many races ahead. One or two retirements can change everything in a huge way, and we haven’t been strong on reliability,” he stated.
The Austrian stressed that Mercedes must stay focused on each phase of the weekend to turn the current lead into championship results: “We simply need to keep maximizing every day, from Friday through Sunday, and then, I hope that in the end this will be enough,” he added.
Reliability could also bring consequences within Mercedes itself. George Russell, third in the standings, is 59 points behind Antonelli and has also faced issues, such as the failure suffered in Canada during the battle for the win between the two drivers. Moreover, the team is evaluating the possibility of grid penalties for using additional components in the power unit, with Monza and Baku among the options considered by Wolff.
