Toto Wolff says Mercedes must evaluate strategy calls more carefully as George Russell narrows Kimi Antonelli's championship lead to 66 points.

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff acknowledged that George Russell's resurgent title challenge forces the team to carefully reconsider its in-race strategy to ensure both drivers receive equal opportunities. Russell's dominant pole-to-flag victory in Baku reduced teammate Kimi Antonelli's championship lead from 81 to 66 points, moving Russell's chances from near impossible to unlikely with eight race weekends remaining.

Wolff explained that Mercedes wants to continue treating both drivers equally, but the narrowing gap means the team must properly evaluate whether making optimal strategy calls for one driver would hinder the other's chances. The team maintains its philosophy that both drivers should have equal opportunity to compete for the championship, but the team comes first in all decisions.

Russell had previously adapted his driving style to the new 2026 cars and recently returned to his best form, culminating in the Azerbaijan victory. Antonelli recovered from 16th to fifth in Baku after a costly qualifying error, limiting the damage from what he called his worst weekend of the season.

Mercedes could learn from McLaren's similar situation last year when both Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri were title contenders before strategic errors allowed Max Verstappen back into the fight. Wolff noted the additional consideration becomes more important as the season progresses and the gap to direct competitors widens.