Not McLaren or Red Bull, Toto Wolff wants to fight for the championship with ex-star Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari

Mercedes F1 team principal Toto Wolff has picked Ferrari as his team's ideal championship rival in 2026, with Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc battling it out against George Russell and Kimi Antonelli. The Austrian also added that this battle between the aforementioned drivers will happen sooner rather than later.

Mercedes are expected to have a strong power unit amid the new regulations that are coming into the F1 world from 2026 onwards. But team boss Toto Wolff feels there is another team that may have developed a strong power unit, namely, Ferrari.

The 53-year-old is already manifesting a title fight between the two iconic teams in 2026, as he wishes to see his two drivers go up against Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc. During an interview with Italian outlet La Gazzetta dello Sport, Wolff was asked who his ideal rivals would be in 2026.

"The answer is simple: Ferrari," replied Wolff.

"Seeing Ferrari against Mercedes would be fantastic, a true classic. And then Lewis and Charles versus Kimi and George, what an incredible battle that would be. An Italian driver racing against an Italian team, can you imagine? I have no doubt this duel will happen, next year or sometime in the future. We’ll witness it, and it’ll be amazing," he concluded.

Wolff also added that he expects Honda to come up with a strong engine for 2026 as the Japanese company begin their partnership with Aston Martin. Wolff also mentioned that he will be on the lookout for the new entrants like Audi and Ford with Red Bull.

But McLaren, who are currently dominating the entirety of the F1 grid, can also not be discounted. The Papaya team will also have a Mercedes engine in the back of their 2026 challenger, which is widely rumored to be the quickest.

---

Toto Wolff reflects on Lewis Hamilton's support for rookie Kimi Antonelli

Lewis Hamilton with Kimi Antonelli at the Hungarian Grand Prix - Source: Getty

Kimi Antonelli has recently shared that Lewis Hamilton has supported him amid his tough run of form in the recent weeks of his debut F1 season with Mercedes. Toto Wolff has claimed that he is not surprised by this, as he highlighted Hamilton's continued importance within the Mercedes setup.

In the aforementioned interview, Wolff was asked if he was surprised by the fact that Hamilton has shown his support to Antonelli in recent weeks.

"No, I think champions recognize other champions. And Lewis remains very important to us; he was a pillar of our team and will always be part of the Mercedes family, even though he now drives for Ferrari," replied Wolff.

"My friendship with Lewis has remained unchanged. We talk often, and I think he understands the challenges Kimi faces," he added.

Mercedes entrusted Antonelli to fill in the large shoes of Hamilton at the age of just 18. After a decent start to life, the teenager has struggled to find form, failing to score any points in the European leg of the season up until the recently concluded Hungarian GP. Hamilton has publicly supported the rookie and has also been spotted with him during the race weekend recently.