Wolff gives take on bittersweet Belgian GP for Mercedes

(opens in a new tab)Sign InSubscribeF1ScheduleResultsStandingsDriversTeamsF1 UnlockedOpen menuFIA if(window.f1MobileDetection.iOSSafari) { var meta = document.createElement("meta"); meta.name = "apple-itunes-app"; meta.content = "app-id=835022598, app-argument=https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/sometimes-our-best-is-not-good-enough-wolff-reflects-on-bittersweet-belgian-gp-for-mercedes.GX6VXs6Ov95KIaDxjnnPi.GX6VXs6Ov95KIaDxjnnPi"; document.head.appendChild(meta); } {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/sometimes-our-best-is-not-good-enough-wolff-reflects-on-bittersweet-belgian-gp-for-mercedes.GX6VXs6Ov95KIaDxjnnPi","url":"https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/sometimes-our-best-is-not-good-enough-wolff-reflects-on-bittersweet-belgian-gp-for-mercedes.GX6VXs6Ov95KIaDxjnnPi","mainEntityOfPage":"https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/sometimes-our-best-is-not-good-enough-wolff-reflects-on-bittersweet-belgian-gp-for-mercedes.GX6VXs6Ov95KIaDxjnnPi","datePublished":"2026-07-19T16:05:57.308Z","dateModified":"2026-07-19T16:05:57.308Z","headline":"'Sometimes our best is not good enough' – Toto Wolff reflects on bittersweet Belgian GP for Mercedes","author":"F1","description":"Toto Wolff admits that \"sometimes our best is not good enough\" after a bittersweet Belgian Grand Prix for Mercedes, as Kimi Antonelli won and George Russell retired.","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://media.formula1.com/image/upload/t_16by9Centre/f_auto/q_auto/v1784476859/fom-website/2026/Belgium/GettyImages-2286609073%20169.jpg"},"isAccessibleForFree":"true","publisher":{"@type":"SportsOrganization","@id":"https://www.formula1.com#organization","name":"Formula 1","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://www.formula1.com/etc/designs/fom-website/social/f1-default-share.jpg","width":"480","height":"120"}}}Toto WolffKimi AntonelliGeorge RussellShow more tags'Sometimes our best is not good enough' – Wolff reflects on bittersweet Belgian GP for MercedesMercedes won the Belgian Grand Prix with Kimi Antonelli but George Russell retired on the opening lap. Toto Wolff admits that "sometimes our best is not good enough" after a bittersweet Belgian Grand Prix for Mercedes, as Kimi Antonelli won and George Russell retired. Antonelli claimed his sixth win of the season in Sunday's 44-lap race at Spa-Francorchamps, overtaking Charles Leclerc with 10 laps remaining as the Ferrari made up time and positions with a pit stop under a Virtual Safety Car. "Obviously super happy for Kimi and he managed to win," the Mercedes Team Principal told F1 TV. "He was strong all weekend. He probably should have won at Silverstone and DNF'd, so that is an absolutely merited win. He added: "We thought we had the pace but the VSC again overturned it and Charles was ahead. But a super mature drive, he just eked away tenth by tenth every lap and that was really good to see." While Antonelli stood on the top step, it was an early finish for Russell who was eliminated after a collision with Lewis Hamilton on the opening lap at Les Combes. The Briton had started third but was swamped on the run out of La Source and up Eau Rouge due to a lack of full power, with Wolff confirming that there was a problem. "We had a problem with all Mercedes engines at the start, they didn't deploy all the power that they should have had. It's something we need to get under control," he said. Russell's retirement means he sits 50 points behind Antonelli in the Drivers' standings, having also complained about a lack of straight-line speed throughout the weekend compared with his Italian team mate. Wolff acknowledged there was an issue and that every effort was being made to ensure parity between his drivers. "That is something hopefully we have sorted but again we are racing, straight-line speed differences can happen," he said. "We're trying to give it our best and sometimes our best is not good enough. Sometimes it is good enough, but one thing is we are all pushing extra hard." Download the Official F1 AppYour ultimate companion into
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