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Toto Wolff has defended Mercedes’ decision to invert its cars during the closing stages of the Dutch Grand Prix, arguing that allowing Kimi Antonelli through ahead of George Russell was the logical outcome of the team’s strategy.
Antonelli had been running second behind Lando Norris when the Virtual Safety Car was deployed late in the race. The Italian stopped for fresher tyres, but rejoined in third, behind Norris and Russell after both Mercedes and McLaren drivers elected to remain on track.
On Lap 65 of 72, Mercedes instructed Russell to let Antonelli pass. The request initially drew a disgruntled response from Russell, who feared the team had “lost a double podium” as Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc closed rapidly in the Ferrari cars.
Russell nevertheless followed the order. He then held both Ferraris behind him to secure third, while Antonelli retained second. The result extended a strong Mercedes weekend at Zandvoort, following Russell’s controlled Dutch GP sprint victory.
Asked about the call after the race, Wolff said Mercedes’ approach had already been discussed internally and reflected an established team policy.
“I think this is the policy that we always have, and we discussed it many times and also in the morning. We're not losing time with each other and having Ferraris breathing down our neck,” the Mercedes Team Principal told F1 TV.
Wolff added that Antonelli had been ahead before the pit-stop sequence and would not have needed to stop in the same circumstances. Russell’s final position, therefore, was shaped by the Ferrari threat rather than by a direct loss of performance to his team-mate.
“Especially before the inverting, Kimi was ahead – he didn't need to pit, so George ended where he ended, with the threat of the Ferraris obviously. So the switch was the logical consequence,” Wolff explained.
Wolff described the weekend as “good and tough at times”, admitting Mercedes had believed it possessed the pace to win before its performance fell away after switching to the hard tyre.
“We don't understand why, but when you look at it from the bittersweet side, we finished with a P2 and P3. We outscored Ferrari in points, so that is okay,” he said.
With Norris taking victory for McLaren, Wolff expects the contest to remain close. He characterised the battle as a development fight but admitted Mercedes is currently “a bit stuck”. The team’s immediate priority, he said, is to continue performing and executing well while further upgrades remain some distance away.
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