Wolff Praises “exciting” Suzuka race but acknowledges mixed fortunes for Mercedes
Toto Wolff left the Japanese Grand Prix with a blend of satisfaction and frustration, describing a race full of overtaking, strategic nuance and unpredictable swings — but also one that split Mercedes’ fortunes right down the middle.
The Mercedes team principal was quick to highlight how different this year’s Suzuka felt compared to the past. “We had an exciting race today with plenty of overtaking which hasn't always been the case here at Suzuka,” Wolff said, noting how the 2026 regulations have reshaped the way drivers attack and defend.
“It's a new way of racing where you have to think strategically in order to both pass and then make sure it sticks. It's a great challenge for both the drivers and the teams and it makes the race very unpredictable.”
That unpredictability worked beautifully for Andrea Kimi Antonelli. After dropping from pole to sixth at the start, the Italian rookie fought his way back into contention — and then benefitted from a perfectly timed Safety Car.
Wolff didn’t shy away from acknowledging the role of fortune: “Sometimes you need the luck to go your way in racing and that was the case with Kimi today. He lost positions at the start but was able to get them back with a fortunately timed safety car.”
But Wolff was equally clear that Antonelli’s performance was not defined by luck alone. “Whilst that was helpful to him, his pace in the second half of the race showed what he was capable of.” Once in clean air, Antonelli was untouchable, pulling away to win by nearly 14 seconds and securing back‑to‑back victories.
For George Russell, however, Suzuka delivered the opposite experience. The Briton also suffered a poor start, recovered strongly, and looked set to challenge for the win — only for the Safety Car to drop at the worst possible moment. Wolff summarised it bluntly: “George was on the flip side of that equation and lost out having pitted just one lap before the safety car came out.”
The restart brought further complications. “He then lost more positions, firstly on the restart as he hit the harvesting limit and was low on deployment and then secondly with an unexpected superclip,” Wolff explained.
Despite the setbacks, Russell fought back to fourth, but the team boss acknowledged the sting: “He fought hard to get back to P4, but he's certainly had more than his share of bad luck this weekend.”
