Toto Wolff says he thought Mercedes had “three cars” after Hamilton qualifying run

Toto Wolff joked that Mercedes briefly appeared to have three cars near the top of the timesheets after Lewis Hamilton qualified just behind the team’s drivers for the Chinese Grand Prix.

Mercedes continued its strong pace in Shanghai as rookie Kimi Antonelli secured the first pole position of his Formula One career. His teammate George Russell, who won the season opener in Australia, qualified second to complete a front-row lockout for the Silver Arrows.

Hamilton lined up just behind them in third for Ferrari, matching his best qualifying result with the team since joining last season.

The result placed the seven-time world champion directly behind the team he spent more than a decade with, prompting a light-hearted reaction from Mercedes team principal Wolff.

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In a video shared on social media, Wolff pointed toward the timing screen and joked that he “thought we had three cars” in the top positions.

Hamilton raced for Mercedes for 12 seasons and won six of his world titles with the team before moving to Ferrari in one of Formula One’s most high-profile driver transfers.

The clip ends with Wolff adding that Hamilton is “still our driver,” reflecting the long-standing connection between the British driver and the Mercedes team.

Sources: Formula 1 qualifying results, Mercedes team social media.

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