Toto Wolff has showcased his ruthless side, explaining that he is willing to kick his drivers to the kerb if they act ‘selfish’ or ‘put the team’s success at risk’. George Russell and Kimi Antonelli are both out of contract at the end of the season and fighting for new deals. Mercedes head into the Austrian Grand Prix – Wolff’s home race – riding a wave of optimism after Russell clinched his first win of the season in Montreal, with rookie team-mate Antonelli also climbing onto the podium.

However, despite the memorable moment, the Silver Arrows are still 175 points behind McLaren at the top of the Constructors’ Championship standings. This means that, save for an unprecedented capitulation from Andrea Stella’s squad, Wolff’s team will end the ground effect era with no trophies to their name. This is despite a cut-throat attitude from the team principal, who is keeping his options open regarding contracts for 2026.

“There are other people who are part of your success,” Wolff told the Bloomberg Hot Pursuit podcast, offering a peek inside at his management style. “And how I’ve been managing this from the first day that I’ve been in Formula One is that I make no difference between the two drivers and the rest of the company.

“I’ve been telling them that there are 2,500 superstars in this team. Whether they work in the machine shop, in the cleaning, in aerodynamics or driving the car, I’m not going to treat you any differently than any of the other people.

“If you are selfish and you put our joint success at risk, or you damage our brand, then I’m going to be ruthless about it. You have no part in this team.” He went on to add: “That philosophy has worked because our drivers have understood that, they respect that.

“They care that everybody you know is part of the success, and they realise that when they crash into each other, people can’t pay their mortgages because they don’t earn their bonuses.”

While Wolff is prepared to be cut-throat if he needs to, the Austrian’s approach is paying dividends, and the relaxed atmosphere currently exuding from the Mercedes camp is a testament to the 53-year-old’s leadership.

“George has massively stepped up as a senior driver in the team,” he explained earlier this season. “Kimi is almost like the young brother that’s come in. They work well together, which is very pleasing to see. Kimi doesn’t stress too much. He’s just building up constantly. And on George, you can rely on him when it comes to lap times and racing. So spirits are high.”