Wolff warns Red Bull is becoming a serious Mercedes threat

Toto Wolff believes Red Bull has become a genuine threat to Mercedes after Max Verstappen followed his recent Bahrain success with a commanding Singapore weekend. The Mercedes team principal expects the contest between the two teams to intensify next season, despite his squad remaining close to both championship titles.

Red Bull’s Bahrain victory marked its first win of the season. Read more about Verstappen’s breakthrough result.

Mercedes is still searching for its upgrade gains

Mercedes’ own recent development has yet to deliver the performance the team expected. An upgrade introduced at the Bahrain Grand Prix produced an unclear picture, prompting the team to run two car specifications in Singapore to speed up its assessment.

Kimi Antonelli used the newer version and finished third. George Russell ran the previous specification, which had helped him win in Baku, and finished ninth after starting from the back because of power unit component changes.

Wolff said the comparison gave Mercedes useful information, but suggested the updated car required a different set-up approach. He did not believe it had yet shown the performance the team had hoped for, though he described the change as progress.

Mercedes plans to continue evaluating the package at the next round in Austin. Wolff said the findings there would help establish whether the upgrade can provide more performance and inform the team’s development direction for next year.

Wolff expects a bigger fight next season

The recent results have sharpened Wolff’s warning: Red Bull’s progress means Mercedes cannot assume its current position will carry over. He said the teams would be in a full-scale fight next year, with Red Bull firmly among the contenders.

That outlook comes as Mercedes considers its longer-term priorities. Wolff’s comments on next season’s battle follow the team’s reported move towards 2027 development, while the Singapore upgrade comparison remains an immediate test of whether its latest direction can close the gap.

For now, Wolff is encouraged by the step Mercedes has made, but not convinced it has uncovered the pace needed to match Verstappen. Austin will offer the next indication of whether the new specification can deliver what the team expects.