Toto Wolff claims Lewis Hamilton would have beaten Mercedes to F1 Barcelona GP pole without ‘mistake’
Toto Wolff is wary about the threat posed by former Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton in Barcelona.
Mercedes Formula 1 boss Toto Wolff has claimed Lewis Hamilton would have beaten George Russell to pole position at the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix had it not been for a “mistake”.
Russell bounced back from recent disappointments to secure a much-needed pole in a tight qualifying session at Barcelona and end a dominant streak from Mercedes team-mate and championship leader Andrea Kimi Antonelli.
But it was Russell’s former Mercedes team-mate Hamilton, not Antonelli, who provided the 28-year-old Briton with the biggest threat in qualifying.
Russell edged out seven-time world champion Hamilton’s Ferrari to pole by just 0.064 seconds as Antonelli could only manage third on the grid.
Wolff admitted he remains cautious of the threat posed by Hamilton in Sunday’s grand prix, having claimed the 41-year-old Briton could have even snatched pole for himself.
"My old friend... when people doubted whether he still had the speed, I've always said if he's in the right frame of mind and the car suits him, then he is to be reckoned with," Wolff told Sky Sports F1.
"You need to count him in and that's what he did today. If there isn't a tiny mistake at the end, he is a tenth-and-a-half quicker than us.
"I think it's going to play out in tyre degradation and we were quite good in the long run yesterday - but it all depends on the start.
"If Lewis is ahead after the start, that's going to be a tough one for everyone, so I'm really curious to see how that pans out.”
It marked Hamilton’s first front-row start as a Ferrari driver. It is also Hamilton's first top-two qualifying result since the 2024 British Grand Prix at Silverstone, which he won.
Hamilton moved ahead of Russell and up to second in the world championship standings with his second-place finish at last weekend’s Monaco Grand Prix.
A second consecutive P2 finish leaves Hamilton 66 points behind Antonelli and two clear of Russell heading into Sunday’s race.
Russell agreed with Wolff's assessment, insisting: "Lewis did a really amazing job and also could have got the pole position as well, but regardless, that was the most important thing for me this weekend."
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