Dutch GP: Mercedes boss Toto Wolff defends decision to order George Russell to let team-mate Kimi Antonelli past in Zandvoort race
Kimi Antonelli extended his world championship lead after finishing second in the Dutch Grand Prix; George Russell was third after letting his Mercedes team-mate through in the closing stages following a team order; Mercedes boss Toto Wolff says the call was "not a difficult decision"
Sunday 23 August 2026 19:40, UK
Mercedes chief Toto Wolff insists it was "not a difficult decision" to order George Russell to allow team-mate Kimi Antonelli past him during the Dutch Grand Prix.
Championship leader Antonelli was running second to Lando Norris with 16 laps to go when Mercedes decided to pit the Italian for fresh tyres under a virtual safety car, bringing him out in third behind Russell.
It quickly became apparent that Antonelli didn't have the pace to challenge Norris for victory, but while he soon closed up on Russell, the difficulty of overtaking at Zandvoort meant there was no guarantee the Italian would be able to cruise past his team-mate.
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However, Russell was told over the radio to allow Antonelli through into second, which would leave the Brit vulnerable to losing his place on the podium to Lewis Hamilton, on fresh tyres behind him with his Ferrari team-mate Charles Leclerc in tow.
With the help of another VSC interruption, Russell did brilliantly to hold off Hamilton, but finishing behind Antonelli meant the gap between them at the top of the championship increased to 59 points.
Wolff told Sky Sports F1: "We had a free stop with Kimi - a team internal free stop - and George was incredibly at the end fighting and also fending off the Ferraris, who were on a much quicker car. Was really, really exceptional.
"That (the decision) looks difficult on the outside but not on the inside. It's a situation we discussed very often, also today in the morning 'we're not going to lose time fighting with each other and have two Ferraris breathing down our neck'.
"So, it would have been the other way around exactly the same. It plays no role who is ahead in the championship or not, it's just about protecting the best possible positions."
Wolff insisted that his focus has to be on the best result for the team, rather than worrying about the feelings of his drivers.
"I don't think Antonelli was anywhere near catching Norris," Wolff added.
"It was just the safest way in terms of scoring points. You could have played maybe leaving him in the Overtake Mode and then again, you are risking too much, you have two Ferraris all over you.
"So, it was some tough calls, but they need to be done when you want to fight for the constructors' and drivers' championship.
"This is how we are operating. Both drivers know that. We avoid situations like some other teams where it's not clearly talked like this.
"This is harsh times, there's 2,500 people who work for championships, and it's not one man's game. That's how we operate it the last 15 years."
Russell: Antonelli deserved second
Russell initially appeared to question the order over the radio as he asked whether Antonelli had a chance of catching Norris, but ultimately quickly followed the instruction.
Asked about his thought process at the time, Russell said: "We've always said as a team, when we're on different strategies, we're never going to fight and we're always going to invert, and that's always just been our sort of rules.
"And the fact is Kimi was ahead of me before the VSC and he tried something different to protect us as a team. He kind of copy-pasted what the Ferraris did.
"Could I have kept him behind? Maybe. But equally, it could have been a P5 as well.
"So, in the end, he deserved to be P2. I think P3 was a fair result for me."
Antonelli: George made my life a lot easier
Antonelli thanked Russell for obeying the team order but admitted he felt as though his strategy had put his team-mate at greater risk of losing a podium.
The 19-year-old took the lead by passing Norris at an early restart but was unable to match the McLaren driver's impressive pace once they switched to the hard tyre compound at the first round of pit stops.
Antonelli said: "It was a difficult second half (of the race) for me, especially in the last stint on the hards, just really struggling. Had little confidence in the car and, yeah, it was not easy.
"And then obviously we pitted, and also that was a bit tricky. But then also George, I have to thank him because he made my life a lot easier.
"But I still think probably could have stayed out and gone until the end with the same set because it put us a little bit at risk. Also, I feel we put George at risk with having to let me by and everything.
"But I still think, at the end of the day, it was a great team execution with how things were, and I think today P2 was the maximum we could have done because the pace of the McLarens, especially in the second half, was just too strong."
Formula 1 heads to Monza for Ferrari's home race at the Italian Grand Prix on September 4-6, live on Sky Sports F1. Stream Sky Sports with NOW - no contract, cancel anytime
