'Brainless' – Wolff fires back at 'lunatics' over Antonelli/Russell treatment rumours

Toto Wolff has hit out at “completely nonsensical” suggestions that Mercedes have favoured Kimi Antonelli at times over George Russell, with the team boss stating that anybody who believes such rumours is “brainless”.

Antonelli currently leads the Drivers’ Championship by 84 points, a margin that grew last time out in Malaysia after Russell was forced to retire due to a power unit issue – marking the Briton’s third DNF of the season.

Speaking to the media on Friday at the Singapore Grand Prix, Wolff was quizzed on what he would say to those who feel that the Silver Arrows have favoured Antonelli amid speculation over the decisions that the team have taken regarding their drivers during the campaign.

“They're brainless,” the Team Principal responded. “Whoever thinks that… It's completely nonsensical. We've had it in the past with Lewis [Hamilton] fans. I don't know what's going on. Do they think I have a button, and that says ‘George engine failure now’? Or disadvantaging one driver against the other, when we're fighting for a Constructors’ Championship?

“We've always had the mindset of providing everybody with equal material, but I guess this is maybe where social media goes today. People hide behind their screens, and then they lash out. There's a lot of polarisation going on.”

Wolff went on to suggest that he could see the amusing side of such comments, adding: “Sometimes I read what people write. I find it hilarious. These people really contribute to my own entertainment when they're abusing the team or myself – I'm Satan, I've heard. So, yeah, overall, funny.

“But really zero understanding and respect for people who come up with these things. They should, rather than watching Formula 1, they should do Teletubbies or, I don't know, some Mickey Mouse.”

Wolff reiterated that he has long aimed for an equal and open approach when it comes to the drivers in the team.

“I've always tried, since I came into Formula 1, even in my Williams days, to be the most balanced and the most transparent with the drivers,” he explained.

“I remember being a complete rookie and running into Alain Prost on the grid of a race, and I said, ‘Just out of interest, why did it go so wrong between you and [Ayrton] Senna?’ And he said, ‘Because we never knew what the team was about.

“’You felt that you were the flavour of the month at one time, and then two months later, you thought the politics were going against you. There were different situations where you had the feeling that you really were not wanted.’ So I took it as my challenge to keep it always balanced.

“It was not easy with Lewis and Nico [Rosberg] back in the day, and that's why, people can think what they want, but the integrity in that respect is something that's important for me, and the drivers know it.

“We have had Kimi since he was 11. He's an integral part of the team. It is very nice to see him grow, to be in a position now that he's fighting for a championship at such a young age, the talent he has.

“And then on the other side, George has been with us since he was 17. He’s someone I feel a lot of emotions for and compassion. We are very close. That's why it's pretty annoying to have some lunatics that have no understanding really about how relationships work coming up with these kinds of accusations.

“So I don't pay any attention to this. Most important is that George knows how the team is, and Kimi knows, and we will always try to give them equal opportunity.”

With Mercedes opting to split car specifications in Singapore – meaning that Antonelli is running the recent upgrade, while Russell has reverted back to his Azerbaijan-spec W17 – Wolff argued that this is an example of that equal approach.

“We don't know which one is going to be quicker, and so you take a decision to try to find out,” the Austrian said. “There is no great political thinking behind it. And when it comes to racing, like [McLaren’s] papaya rules, we have always been very clear that we're not standing in each other's way.

“We don't like the yo-yo racing that could cost the position if someone is close to us, and the quicker car, if it's behind, is always going to have an advantage, and that could go either direction. It doesn't matter. Even if it is now that it’s more realistic for Kimi to win a championship in sheer mathematical probability, we would still give George the same opportunities.

“And that's important. That's the ethos and the integrity on which the team has operated since 2013, since I came, and we wanted to stick to that, and then people can think what they want.”