Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has made it clear that George Russell will have the full backing of the Brackley outfit in the closing three rounds of the 2026 season in a bid to help the Briton finish runner-up in the F1 Drivers’ Championship.
While Mercedes sealed the Constructors’ title last weekend in Brazil at Interlagos, the celebrations came against the backdrop of a difficult weekend for the Silver Arrows, with Russell and freshly crowned world champion Kimi Antonelli finishing fourth and fifth respectively in the rain-hit Sao Paulo Grand Prix.
It was the first time this season that neither Mercedes driver had made the podium, while Russell’s recent dip in form has seen him fall from second to third in the standings, leaving him just one point ahead of Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton and 17 adrift of Max Verstappen, with three races still to run.
Wolff ready to throw Mercedes’ weight behind Russell
Wolff admitted that Mercedes had yet to formulate a specific strategy for the battle over second place, but his message was unmistakable: Russell will have every resource at his disposal if the team believes it can help him catch Verstappen.
“I haven't thought about the drivers' championship yet,” the Austrian said after the Sao Paulo race.
“We absolutely want him to score the maximum and hopefully finish second, and we need to think about what we're going to do about it, but it could be a possibility that we're giving it all the force.”
©Mercedes
Wolff was equally keen to ensure that Russell shared in the team's landmark achievement, particularly after a season in which the Briton has endured his fair share of setbacks.
“It's George's championship today, it's the constructors’ championship, and he's part of the team – and I'm really happy that he can cherish this moment, because we owe it to him.
“You know, he had it so tough at times, and yesterday was a good example. He was absolutely dominating the wet qualifying, he should have been on pole easily, and then this last lap took away his pole position.
Read also: F1i Driver Ratings for the 2026 São Paulo Grand Prix“Now we have three races to go. We're going to, like I said, go full blast, and he will recover, I have no doubt about that for next year. All the very best sportspeople have gone through difficult periods, and that's going to be part of his continued development.”
The reference to Saturday's qualifying session underlined Wolff's frustration at how circumstances have repeatedly conspired against Russell. The Mercedes driver looked comfortably on course for pole in treacherous conditions before losing out on the final lap, another painful setback in an increasingly difficult spell.
Russell puts the constructors’ crown first
Sunday offered little immediate consolation. Russell's hopes of a podium, and potentially an even bigger result, were derailed by an embarrassing spin on the exit of the pit lane. The Briton acknowledged that his eagerness to seize an opportunity to challenge for victory had contributed to the mistake.
Despite the disappointment, he was quick to celebrate Mercedes' return to the summit of the constructors' standings after four difficult seasons.
"An incredible achievement from everyone in the team. We had four tough years, and to come through and take the championship is really, really great,” Russell said.
"Obviously, it was a bit of an up-and-down race. I have no idea what happened on that pit exit. I probably just took too much risk, because I was seeing an opportunity to go for the win at that point, but it happened.
"Ironically, because that happened, I then didn’t pit for another set of slick tyres, and it kind of put me back in the same position as I was before the incident. The most important [thing] is we got the championship sealed."
Overturning Verstappen's 17-point advantage over Russell will be no straightforward proposition, but Wolff has made one thing abundantly clear: the team has no intention of letting its season peter out now that the silverware has been secured.
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