Toto Wolff shares his honest thoughts on the upgrade standoff between Mercedes and McLaren
Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff has shared his thoughts on the upgrade battle between his team and McLaren.
Right now, Mercedes is leading the Constructors’ Championship after 11 of 23 races in 2026. Kimi Antonelli, their driver, is also leading the Drivers’ Championship by 50 points. His teammate George Russell is third with 160 points, just behind Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton in second.
Mercedes started the season strong, with Antonelli and Russell winning many of the first seven races. But their rivals have started catching up. Ferrari’s Hamilton and Charles Leclerc have each won a race, and McLaren’s Lando Norris took the win at the Hungarian Grand Prix.
Wolff recently said that Mercedes planned a “strategic” approach to upgrades, saving some improvements for the second half of the season. Meanwhile, McLaren brought big upgrade packages to Hungary, which they say helped their performance a lot. They looked set for a 1-2 finish until Norris’s teammate Oscar Piastri had to retire with a gearbox problem.
McLaren boss Andrea Stella said their improved speed was all thanks to the upgrades. But Mercedes’ deputy technical director Simone Resta thinks the upgrades helped, but other things played a part too. He pointed out that Norris has had strong races this year and that Budapest might have been a weekend where everything just clicked for him.
At Hungary, Mercedes wasn’t really in the mix for the win. Antonelli, who finished third, might have been off the podium without a late safety car that caused Ferrari to pit Hamilton. Russell had a tough start, dropping to 21st because of an engine issue but fought back to finish seventh.
Wolff told reporters to be careful about how much credit is given to McLaren’s upgrades. He said Budapest is a good track for McLaren but not for Mercedes, and that just because one race goes well doesn’t mean everything has changed. He acknowledged McLaren has made some progress and that both teams will continue battling through upgrades for the rest of the season.