Kimi Antonelli’s surprising moment with George Russell at the Canadian GP press conference you didn’t see
Kimi Antonelli and George Russell are racing not just on the track but also in the Formula 1 drivers’ standings, and it looks like some tension is building between the two Mercedes teammates. Antonelli is currently leading the championship by 43 points after winning the Canadian Grand Prix on Sunday. This marks his fourth straight win in just five races so far in the 2026 season.
Russell, who won the first race in Australia ahead of the young Italian, admits that the championship is really “Antonelli’s to lose.” It was an intense weekend for the Mercedes team. Antonelli was upset after a clash with Russell during Saturday’s sprint race, and both drivers were clearly pushing hard against each other during the first half of the main race at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.
Russell’s chance to close the gap ended when his power unit reportedly failed while he was leading. Antonelli went on to win easily, finishing ahead of Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen, and setting the fastest lap as he crossed the finish line without challenge.
When drivers are fighting at the top, rivalries are bound to happen, and some of the tension between the two Mercedes drivers showed during the post-sprint press conference at the Canadian track. Press conference host Tom Clarkson pointed out they didn’t seem to be getting along, even saying they came in separately and didn’t look at each other.
Clarkson shared on the F1 Nation podcast, “One of them actually wanted to talk to me because he didn’t want to leave with the other. So you could tell things were tense.”
Former F1 driver Jolyon Palmer, who interviewed both over the weekend, also felt the rivalry is starting to get serious. He said, “You can see the body language is different. It used to be ‘happy days,’ working together well and scoring points for the team. But this weekend, it felt different. It looks like something big has happened between them.”
Antonelli’s recent streak includes his win in Miami earlier this month, making him the first driver to win three races in a row. His Canadian victory made it four straight wins. At just 19 years old, he’s on course to break Sebastian Vettel’s record as the youngest-ever world champion in the sport.