Wolff revealed the details after Sunday’s race in Sao Paulo 🗣️…🚨 TOTO WOLFF REVEALS SHOCKING DETAILS AFTER SAO PAULO GRAND PRIX AS MERCEDES INVESTIGATE STRANGE CAR PROBLEMS 🗣️🏎️
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has opened up about the unexpected difficulties experienced by his drivers during Sunday’s São Paulo Grand Prix, admitting that the team may have made a mistake with its car setup.
Although Mercedes achieved one of its biggest objectives of the 2026 Formula 1 season by securing the Constructors’ Championship at Interlagos, the celebrations were accompanied by serious questions about the performance of the team’s cars.
George Russell and Andrea Kimi Antonelli both experienced unusual handling problems throughout the 71-lap race, raising concerns within the Mercedes garage. What initially appeared to be a promising afternoon gradually became a frustrating battle as both drivers struggled to maintain control and extract the maximum performance from their machines.
Speaking after the race, Wolff admitted that Mercedes had not completely understood what went wrong and suggested that tyre pressures or the car’s setup could have played an important role.
Mercedes drivers experience unexpected difficulties
Mercedes entered the Brazilian Grand Prix weekend with considerable confidence following a strong 2026 campaign.
The team had already demonstrated its competitive advantage throughout the season, with Antonelli and Russell delivering victories and consistently collecting important championship points.
However, Sunday’s race presented a completely different challenge.
Antonelli initially looked capable of fighting for victory. The newly crowned world champion made an impressive start and found himself leading the race during its opening stages.
Russell was also in a competitive position, with Mercedes appearing capable of challenging for another strong result.
Unfortunately, things began to change as the race developed.
Both drivers reported unusual behaviour from their cars, with neither appearing completely comfortable behind the wheel.
Russell suffered a particularly costly moment while exiting the pit lane after changing to slick tyres. The British driver lost control and spun, briefly making contact with the wall.
The incident cost him valuable time and dropped him down the order to tenth position.
Although Russell managed to recover and fight his way back to fourth place, the mistake highlighted the difficulties Mercedes was experiencing.
Antonelli encountered similar problems.
The Italian driver had been leading before losing control at Turn 1, allowing Lando Norris to take advantage and move into the lead.
Antonelli eventually recovered but could not return to the fight for victory, finishing fifth.
Wolff admits Mercedes may have made a mistake
Following the race, Wolff did not attempt to hide his concerns about the strange behaviour of the Mercedes cars.
The Austrian explained that both drivers had reported unusual handling characteristics, making it difficult for the team to understand exactly what had happened.
He suggested that the problem could have been connected to the suspension, tyre pressures or the overall setup.
Wolff explained that neither Russell nor Antonelli was normally a driver who would make mistakes of that nature without a reason.
He also pointed out that the team had noticed an unusual difference in tyre wear after examining the cars.
The rear tyres were heavily worn, while the front tyres appeared to have remained in considerably better condition.
This discovery raised further questions about whether Mercedes had correctly understood the conditions at Interlagos.
Wolff admitted that the team might have overlooked something important during its preparations.
Rather than immediately blaming the drivers, Mercedes now intends to investigate the technical information and understand why the cars behaved so unpredictably.
