Mercedes Dominating: George Russell's Win Signals Major Upset in Formula 1

Euphoric and smug all in one swivel of the head, Toto Wolff currently cannot help himself. Just one week into F1 ’s new era, four years of torturous ground-effect running seem a distant memory now for Mercedes ’s long-term commander-in-chief. On Friday, after a third successive perfect competitive session to start 2026, Wolff saw the monitor in front of him, the camera lasered in and turned to face it, smiling wryly.

He did the same last week in Melbourne. An early contender for F1 “memeable content” of the season? You bet.

And, really, why shouldn’t he be so merry? Lightyears from the “top four is closely packed” predictions from pre-season testing, Mercedes are currently over the hills and far away. On Friday, George Russell claimed pole position for the sprint race in China, leading home another Mercedes one-two finish with Italian teenager Kimi Antonelli behind him.

For the Silver Arrows, it’s been a hat-trick of flawlessness to open up the new campaign. The next-best? Reigning world champion Lando Norris, McLaren: six-tenths of a second down the road in third.