Formula 1, Sportrik Media - Toto Wolff joked that he briefly believed Mercedes had “three cars” on the timing screens after Lewis Hamilton secured a top-three result in qualifying for the Chinese Grand Prix 2026 in Shanghai. The remark came after a strong session for Mercedes at the Shanghai International Circuit.
Mercedes continued its impressive form on Saturday as rookie Andrea Kimi Antonelli claimed the first pole position of his Formula 1 career. The Italian driver will start from the front row alongside team-mate George Russell, who arrives in China after securing victory at the previous round in Australia.
Hamilton, now driving for Ferrari, joined the Mercedes duo in the top three. The result matched his best qualifying performance with the Italian team since completing his high-profile switch from Mercedes last season.
The seven-time world champion spent the majority of his Formula 1 career with Mercedes, racing for the Silver Arrows for 12 seasons. During that period he secured six of his world championships and became one of the most successful drivers in the history of the sport.
Hamilton’s move away from Mercedes was widely regarded as one of the biggest driver market stories in recent Formula 1 history. Despite the transition, Wolff appeared to acknowledge the long-standing relationship between the team and the British driver in a light-hearted moment captured on social media.
In a video shared online, Wolff was seen pointing at the timing screen and telling the camera that he “thought we had three cars”.
He then added that Hamilton is “still our driver” before the clip concluded.
The humorous remark underlined the close association between Hamilton and Mercedes after more than a decade of success together. With the Chinese Grand Prix race still to come, Mercedes will now focus on converting its front-row lockout into a strong result in Shanghai.
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