'Composed' Toto Wolff will not participate in Suzuka.
"Bradley Lord will be representing me."
Fans of Toto Wolff should not expect to see the Mercedes team principal and co-owner at Suzuka. "It’s true, I won’t be in Japan," the Austrian confirmed. "(Communications chief) Bradley Lord will be standing in for me there. He chooses his words more carefully than I do anyway." Over the past few years, as the calendar expanded, Wolff has missed one or two of the longer-haul races. However, he is currently quite busy in a tight competition with the other three major teams and is already addressing questions regarding the driver lineup for 2026.
His 18-year-old protege Kimi Antonelli replaced Lewis Hamilton this year and has made a strong impression so far, but his experienced teammate George Russell has been even more remarkable, consistently performing well and only one point behind Max Verstappen’s second place in the drivers’ standings. Nonetheless, 27-year-old Russell's contract is set to expire at the end of the year. Wolff appears quite pleased with Mercedes’ senior driver.
"I’ve always stated that he’s one of the top drivers out there," Wolff remarked. "If you asked me to name three drivers I consider the best, he’s definitely among those three, if not in the top two, and perhaps on his way to being number one." However, he was somewhat evasive in Shanghai when questioned about the possibility of signing Max Verstappen if the chance arose for 2026.
"Toto Wolff was quite passive, it must be said," former F1 driver Ralf Schumacher told Sky Deutschland. "And when someone like him remains calm, it’s evident that something is already happening behind the scenes. For him, it’s a luxurious dilemma. The big question is what he will do, considering he has two drivers he values deeply—George Russell, who is clearly fighting for his future, and Kimi Antonelli, whom he rates highly," Schumacher added.
For now, Wolff's primary focus may be on closing the gap to McLaren and competing for the current championship. "We are not yet where we want to be," he noted. "We will only be satisfied when we are winning races again and contending for championships. However, you can make up two tenths, or even three tenths. I wouldn’t say we’re truly in the title race just yet, but we’re not far off."
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'Composed' Toto Wolff will not participate in Suzuka.
Formula 1 | Supporters of Toto Wolff should not expect to see the Mercedes team principal and co-owner at Suzuka. The Austrian confirmed, "It’s true, I won’t be in Japan."