Hamilton has moved firmly into championship contention after a strong run of results, taking three consecutive podium finishes in Canada, Monaco and Barcelona.
The seven-time world champion followed two second-place finishes with his first victory for Scuderia Ferrari at the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix, cutting the gap to championship leader Kimi Antonelli to 41 points after the Italian’s retirement due to a technical problem.
The victory marked Hamilton’s first serious title challenge since the start of the ground-effect era, following several difficult seasons where he struggled to fight at the front of the grid.
Wolff, who worked closely with Hamilton during his successful years at Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team, admitted he would rather avoid battling his former driver for the championship.
“I’d rather not fight against him for the title because I know what he’s capable of,” Wolff said. “If he smells blood, he goes. I’ve seen it for many years, where suddenly the Lewis Hamilton train starts to roll, and then it is very difficult to stop.”
Hamilton’s resurgence has been helped by the new power unit regulations and Ferrari’s recent upgrades, which have allowed the team to close the gap to Mercedes.
Wolff believes the championship remains wide open, especially with reliability issues affecting his own team. Mercedes’ technical problems have already cost valuable points, something the Austrian knows cannot continue.
“Yes, absolutely,” Wolff said when asked if Hamilton was a genuine title contender. “We are so early in the season, the gap is 41 points, and you see a retirement can rob you of 25 points, and it is wide open.”
He added that Mercedes must improve reliability, continue developing the car and avoid mistakes if they want to stay ahead in the championship fight.
The next round of the 2026 Formula 1 season will be the Austrian Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring from June 26 to June 28, where the title battle is expe
