Cadillac driver backs Wolff after Antonelli’s 2026 F1 title
Sergio Pérez has delivered a striking endorsement of Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff, calling him the best team principal in Formula 1 today. The Cadillac driver spoke in the aftermath of the 2026 Mexico City Grand Prix, where Kimi Antonelli sealed the Drivers’ Championship. The comments came in front of Pérez’s home crowd at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, on a weekend that made Antonelli the youngest world champion in the sport’s history at 20 years and 68 days old.
Pérez Backs Wolff After Antonelli Seals the Drivers’ Championship
Speaking to media in the paddock after the race, Pérez highlighted both Antonelli’s outstanding season and the leadership that made it possible. “Kimi, what an incredible season he had and above all Toto, right? Who trusted him from day one and despite the tough year he had last year kept believing in him. The support he’s shown to George too, when he’s had his lows… That shows that Toto today is the best team principal out there,” Pérez said.
In his post-race interview, Pérez similarly praised Antonelli and Wolff for a fantastic job, commending the Austrian for putting Antonelli in the car and sticking with him through difficult periods. Antonelli needed only a ninth-place finish in Mexico to take the crown. In a red-flagged and restarted race, he finished third and ended the day on 380 points, having won the United States Grand Prix in Texas the week before. The title was confirmed with four rounds still remaining.
Pérez’s Own Tough Weekend at Home
The praise carried extra weight coming from a veteran who has experienced the full spectrum of Formula 1, from Red Bull’s intense environment to the early challenges of Cadillac’s new project. Pérez returned to the sport this season after a year away following his departure from Red Bull at the end of 2024.
His own weekend was far from smooth. Pérez missed FP3, qualified towards the back, and dealt with a slow pit stop and a penalty on his 300th Grand Prix start. He crossed the line 17th on the road and was classified 16th after a post-race penalty for another driver. In his interview, he explained the setbacks as a wheel gun malfunction that cost about five seconds, along with a software issue that prevented him from slowing sufficiently in the pit lane, resulting in a speeding penalty. Despite a frustrating afternoon in front of his home fans, he still took time to single out Wolff’s management of the Mercedes drivers.
Antonelli’s Road From Difficult Debut to World Champion
Antonelli’s path to the title was far from straightforward. Promoted into the seat left vacant by Lewis Hamilton’s move to Ferrari, the Italian endured a difficult debut campaign in 2025 that included a long stretch without points and public scrutiny. Wolff and the team stood by him throughout.
In 2026 that faith was repaid emphatically. Antonelli took nine victories and clinched the championship with four rounds still to run. Wolff has repeatedly defended the early promotion, describing it as a calculated risk backed by data and long-term vision rather than a gamble. He has also acknowledged the commercial cost of the decision, saying Mercedes lost two sponsors over the Antonelli choice. The partners who stayed, he said, are now sharing in the reward. After the title was secured, Wolff reflected on the doubters who questioned the move and on the difficult moments of 2025, expressing pride that the team never lost faith in its young driver.
Wolff’s Support for George Russell Through the Lows
Pérez also noted Wolff’s handling of George Russell during the Briton’s more difficult periods this season. Russell has been competitive at times but has finished well behind his younger teammate in the standings. After Mexico, the gap between the two Mercedes drivers had reached 130 points, with Russell slipping to fourth in the championship. In the race itself, Russell finished sixth, three places behind the new champion.
The Mexican’s observation underscored a consistent theme in Wolff’s leadership: long-term belief in both drivers rather than short-term reaction to results. For Pérez, that patience with a young prospect and an established race winner alike is exactly what separates Wolff from his rivals in the paddock.
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Why Pérez’s Verdict Matters as the Season Enters Its Final Races
The context of the weekend added resonance. Max Verstappen won the Mexico City Grand Prix, holding off Hamilton by 0.799 seconds, with Antonelli third on a podium that confirmed the title. Outgoing champion Lando Norris finished fifth for McLaren. Pérez, racing for Cadillac in front of his home crowd, acknowledged the special atmosphere while focusing his strongest public comments on the Mercedes story.
For Pérez, the outcome validated Wolff’s approach. In an era of intense pressure, rapid driver turnover and heavy media scrutiny, he pointed to Wolff’s willingness to back young talent through adversity, and to support an established driver through dips in form, as the mark of elite leadership. His assessment aligns with the broader narrative around Wolff’s decision-making, and it arrives at a moment when Mercedes has returned to the front of the grid and produced a record-breaking champion.
As the championship heads into its final races, the focus will shift toward the constructors’ battles and individual performances. Yet Pérez’s post-race assessment in Mexico stands as a clear statement: in his view, Toto Wolff is currently operating at the highest level among Formula 1 team principals.