Toto Wolff Pours Cold Water on Upcoming Mercedes Upgrades After Historic Miami GP Win
· Yahoo Sports
Kimi Antonelli won the 2026 Miami Grand Prix, making it three consecutive victories to open his Formula 1 campaign. He also became the only driver in history to convert each of his first three consecutive pole positions into race wins, a stat that sits alongside Ayrton Senna and Michael Schumacher, which is not bad company for a 19-year-old. Toto Wolff‘s response? Well he’s keen to keep things low key for his young driver and his upcoming upgrades.
Speaking to Sky Sports F1 after the race, Wolff was careful not to let the moment run away with him.
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“I hope he can continue on this positive slope. Most important is not to be carried away. We have a good car. Hopefully the upgrades work at the next race but he’s a fierce competitor and his team-mate also, who wasn’t happy with the track this weekend. Just important to keep both feet on the track.”
The Upgrade Gap Is Real, and Wolff Isn’t Pretending Otherwise
Mercedes arrived in Miami with little in the shape of upgrades unlike almost every other team on the grid. The sprint race was the first time this season the team failed to lock out the front row or place a car in the top three, while a highly updated McLaren finished first by the hands of Lando Norris.
Chinese Grand Prix, Sunday, Getty Images SHANGHAI, CHINA – MARCH 15: Toto Wolff, Executive Director of Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team and Race winner Andrea Kimi Antonelli of Italy and Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team celebrate in parc ferme during the F1 Grand Prix of China at Shanghai International Circuit on March 15, 2026 in Shanghai, China. (Photo by Dom Gibbons/LAT Images)George Russell was reportedly quite surprised to hear that Ferrari, McLaren, and Red Bull were all bringing major update packages as soon as Miami, with the Brackley outfit instead waiting for Canada to reveal their suite of changes.
“Sometimes upgrades don’t correlate with the stopwatch, so we need to prove that out,” he said, pouring cold water on the changes his team are bringing to Montreal. “I hope we can. And this is going to be a development race this season. How much can you bring? Are you limited by the cost cap? All of these things will play a role.”
Miami showed that McLaren has emerged as the closest challenger to Mercedes, with Ferrari having appeared the stronger threat at the start of the season. Whether the gamble of holding off changes brings dividends later in the season will be seen in the coming weeks and months.
Antonelli won in Miami despite a poor sprint, a bad race start, and a rival team arriving with a substantially updated car. It ultimately came down to a two-horse battle, but a strategy choice from the Silver Arrows ultimately helped Antonelli cross the line first.
Wolff’s instinct to stay modest suggests he sees a harder season coming than the standings currently imply. Three wins from four races, and he’s already talking like a man preparing for a fight.