Toto Wolff said he remained wary of the "political knives" surrounding Mercedes after their perfect start to the 2026 Formula One season. 

After the opening two rounds in Australia and China, Mercedes leads the way, with both George Russell and Kimi Antonelli winning a Grand Prix apiece so far. 

Russell also claimed victory in the sprint race at Shanghai International Circuit, helping the Silver Arrows claim 98 points from the opening two weekends of 2026. 

Mercedes are already 31 points ahead of Ferrari in the Constructors' Championship, though the Scuderia have also started strongly with Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc. 

Leclerc, who has finished fourth in the last three races around the Suzuka circuit, told Sky Sports F1 Ferrari have a "big gap" to Mercedes, which is "disappointing".

But team principal Wolff is braced for off-track political battles to rage as Mercedes' rivals seek to peg his team back, with Red Bull's Max Verstappen the most vocal about the new regulations this season. 

"We have a good car, at this stage, that is capable of winning," Wolff said.

"Let's see what kind of political knives are going to come out in the next few weeks and months. But at the moment, it's a car that is capable of winning."

Keep pushing, Team! This is just the beginning pic.twitter.com/l5ZFFO5j55

— Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team (@MercedesAMGF1) March 20, 2026

Last time out in China, Antonelli became F1's youngest ever pole-sitter at 19 years and 201 days, before converting it into a maiden Grand Prix victory.

He also became the 16th Italian driver to secure a victory in the competition, and the first to do so since Giancarlo Fisichella at the Malaysian Grand Prix in 2006.

Antonelli is in his second season in F1 after replacing seven-time world champion Hamilton, and endured a mixed first year, which saw him finish seventh in the drivers' standings.

Wolff was openly critical of the teenager's performances in the middle part of 2025, labelling his performances as "underwhelming" and putting him at risk of losing his seat for this season, with Mercedes reportedly interested in signing Verstappen.

Antonelli crashed in the final practice of this year's season-opener in Australia, but Mercedes repaired his car in time for him to qualify on the front row and finish the race in second.

"When he went off on the Saturday morning, it was not like he carried the whole thing into the briefing," said Wolff.

"He came in and said, 'That wasn't good', but he kind of compartmentalised and said, 'OK, let's move on'. And then it wasn't there any more.

"This is a feature that I've seen with great sportspeople. You make a mistake, you analyse it, you look at the data, you find your answers, and then you put it back, put it in a box.

"And that's what he's doing. The interaction in the engineering room, there's just so much maturity that he has learned over the last 12 months."