Brundle doubts Wolff's neutrality as Russell's title hopes fade: 'In my gut, I think they'd prefer Kimi to win it'
Photo: Race Pictures
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Martin Brundle does not fully believe Toto Wolff's claim that Mercedes is neutral in the 2026 title fight. The Sky Sports pundit says his instinct tells him the team would rather see Kimi Antonelli become champion than George Russell.
Brundle put the question to Wolff directly ahead of the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia. He asked whether Antonelli would be the better world champion for Mercedes from a commercial point of view.
The timing makes the question harder to dodge. Russell's late retirement at Sepang took the gap at the top from 66 points to 84 with seven rounds left. That leaves Mercedes with very little reason, on points, to keep treating both cars the same.
Wolff: 'May the best man win'
Wolff rejected the idea that commercial value could tip the scales. Antonelli has quickly become a star in Italy, and Wolff has called him a 'rock star'. Even so, the Mercedes boss insisted his job was to look after the team as a whole.
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It's a difficult one to say, because obviously, I need to look after the interests of the team. I can never favour a driver. If I do that, I would lose my own conscience in this. They're both given the same opportunity. May the best man win.- Toto Wolff to Sky Sports F1
That fits what Wolff said earlier in the week, which GPblog reported where Wolff said Russell had found it 'difficult to cope' with Antonelli.
Photo: Race Pictures
Brundle's gut says otherwise
Brundle said Wolff stuck to that line off the record as well. He accepts that, but he still has his doubts.
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I'll buy into that. In my gut, I think they'd prefer Kimi to win it.- Martin Brundle,
Brundle offered no evidence of favouritism, and he did not accuse Mercedes of acting on any preference. His point is about where the team's heart lies, not about how it has run its cars.
When do team orders become logical?
The 84-point gap raises a question that sounded premature only weeks ago. In August, Russell was 59 points behind with 12 races left. He told GPblog that helping Antonelli with team orders was "not even a consideration at the moment".
Mercedes has already shown where it draws the line. At Zandvoort, the team told Russell not to fight Antonelli, who was on fresher tyres. Russell accepted the call, saying "He deserved to finish ahead."
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In other words, Mercedes may never need to make a call that tests Brundle's theory. Russell himself has already called the title fight 'exceptionally unlikely', as GPblog reported where Russell admitted defeat in the championship.
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