Mercedes ‘back’ says Toto Wolff after Australian GP one-two but insists his team is in 2026 title battle with Ferrari | F1 News
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has declared his team “back” after opening the season at the Australian Grand Prix, but insists the Silver Arrows will battle Ferrari.
After being considered favorites during pre-season following a major regulation change, Mercedes backed up that position as George Russell led Kimi Antonelli in Melbourne.
The result came after a challenging period for Mercedes under the previous set of rules, which saw them go four years without a constructors’ title having won an incredible eight consecutive championships before that.
Wolff said: “Most importantly, I feel a lot of satisfaction in the team right now.
“We had this winning streak with these eight tournaments and then it was a very difficult year.
“We’ve still won races and finished second in the championship, but a solid one-two when you feel like there’s a season ahead, that means you can fight for the world championship, that hasn’t been for a long time.
“So, you’re probably very thankful when you go back like this, as you know the hard years, that you keep going and that’s why I’m so happy for everyone.”
Many expected a procession after Mercedes locked out the lead in qualifying, but Ferrari were competitive in the early stages as Charles Leclerc overtook Russell at the start and took the lead in the early stages.
It was the safety car that was deployed on lap 11 when Isack Hadjar’s Red Bull broke down that handed the race back to Mercedes, who pitted Russell and Antonelli while Ferrari chose not to field Leclerc and Hamilton, who was running between the Mercedes cars in third place.
The manager of Ferrari, Fred Vasseur, insisted after the race that the decision did not cost Ferrari, he said that the high speed of Mercedes would have ensured that the Silver Arrows got two points from the Silver Arrows regardless of whether their cars entered under the VSC.
While Mercedes had the clear advantage of speed, Russell twice passed Leclerc in the early stages but on both occasions was overtaken by the Monegasque, leading many to believe that Ferrari could have fought harder had they kept the track by riding on lap 11.
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Russell and Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff were delighted after securing pole position at the start of the season.
Despite having new tires, Leclerc and Hamilton could not enter the second half of the race and finished third and fourth respectively.
Wolff said: “When it comes to Ferrari, before the race, people say, ‘Well, you’re going to disappear in the distance, we’re looking at your long runs.’ And it’s not.
“We knew they were strong at the start, that happened. It was a battle from the outside between Charles and George at the start.
“It was a three-way battle at one stage between Ferrari and George, and Kimi finally caught it.
“For me, the feeling now is that we have a war on our hands with Ferrari.
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Ride for Lewis Hamilton and Leclerc as they both make their way around Australia
“The concern we had was that it wasn’t exciting in terms of fighting, and the climbs and the passing routes made it a lot more fun to watch, on a very hard track with power, so we’ll see how that goes in Shanghai. [at this weekend’s Chinese Grand Prix].
“But above all, there was a certain level of satisfaction that Mercedes is back.”
Chinese GP schedule for Sky Sports F1
Thursday March 12
5am: Drivers’ Press Conference
8am: Paddock Uncut
Tuesday March 13
1.05am: F1 Academy Practice
3am: Chinese GP Practice (session starts at 3.30am)*
5.30am: Team Managers Conference*
6am: F1 Academy Qualifying*
6.45am: Chinese GP Sprint Qualifying (session starts 7.30am)*
Saturday March 14
2.25am: Build-up to the Chinese GP Sprint*
3am: CHINESE GP SPRINT*
4.30am: Ted’s Sprint Notebook*
5.30am: F1 Academy Race 1*
6.30am: Chinese GP qualifying build-up*
7am: CHINESE DOCTOR QUALIFYING*
9am: Ted’s Qualifying Notebook*
Sunday March 15
2.35am: F1 Academy Race 2*
5.30am: Chinese GP build-up: Sunday’s Grand Prix*
7am: THE CHINESE GRAND PRIX*
9am: Chinese GP reaction: Checkered flag*
10am: Ted’s Book*
*Also on Sky Sports Main Event
Formula 1 heads to Shanghai for the first Sprint weekend of the 2026 season for the Chinese Grand Prix from this Friday, live on Sky Sports F1. Stream Sky Sports NOW – no contract, cancel anytime
