Toto Wolff Cautions Against Overconfidence After George Russell Named Championship Favorite

Mercedes seems to have achieved the right start to the new regulations in the 2026 season. The team was rumored to be at the forefront of power unit development. However, Brackley was also accused of using an illegal compression ratio tactic to gain extra power. Moreover, George Russell was also titled the championship favorite, all things considered. Now, Toto Wolff opens up on the sea of rumors surrounding the German constructor before the 2026 season even began.

Ahead of the beginning of the 2026 season, the bookmakers had placed George Russell as the title favorite next to Max Verstappen. Toto Wolff, who responded critically to the people accusing Mercedes of using illegal tactics, has responded to a Silver Arrow being the title favorite. Wolff was certainly delighted after finding out about Russell being the title favorite.

Toto Wolff claimed that it was always nice to have a driver from his team to be the championship favorite. Wolff firmly believed that George Russell deserved to be people’s favorite to win the title as he deserved it. Further, the Austrian explained that Russell was an indispensable asset at Brackley, since he was racing for the constructor for quite some time.

It’s always nice if your driver is the favourite with the bookmakers, and I think he deserves it because he’s one of the best, He’s shown us where the performance of the car is, and overall, he’s been more than great to us.

Toto Wolff said, as reported by RacingNews365.

Still, Toto Wolff wasn’t carried away by the positive indicators early on and remained wary of the impending challenge. Wolff accepted that Mercedes hadn’t proved that their challenger package was good enough to dominate on track. As such, the 54-year-old hoped that the bookmakers were right in their predictions and that George Russell achieved his maiden title victory after such a long wait.

But even then, it is always the best driver and best car that wins, and we haven’t yet proven that we have a package that is good enough. We haven’t been in the war in the hot [conditions] in Bahrain with the abrasive Tarmac, which is always tricky for us. So, I hope the bookmakers are right, but I will believe it when we have seen performances that confirm that.

Toto Wolff added.

George Russell claims he doesn’t ‘feel anything’ being bookmakers favorite to win title

Previously, George Russell had given a Michael Schumacher example on his delayed championship victory, claiming that the F1 legend took quite some time before his first title win. As such, Russell isn’t too concerned with not winning the title anytime soon. Moreover, the Briton opened up on being the bookmaker’s favorite to win the championship in the 2026 season.

George Russell candidly spoke that he did not feel any more motivated than he already was after finding out about the fact. He reassured that his approach to win the driver’s title remained unchanged despite people’s faith in him. Russell pointed out that he was excited by the challenge and was looking forward to starting the new regulations in 2026.

I don’t really feel anything from hearing that, to be honest. As I’ve said for a long time, I feel ready to fight for a world championship, and whether we have that comment above us or not, that does not change my approach one single bit. I’m working so hard with the team. Everybody here has been working flat out to really maximise this new set of regulations, and I’m honestly just so excited by the challenge.

George Russell said, as reported by RacingNews365.

The 2026 season will be extremely exciting as the teams will finally have a fresh start to the regulations. The ground-effect era remained insignificant for Mercedes, as they now hope for much better results in the new regulations. For now, the team is managing expectations and is not dreaming about a picture-perfect start to the upcoming season.

Read More: Oscar Piastri Is Coming Back “With a Vengeance” in 2026

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