Toto Wolff shares his thoughts on what happened between Kimi Antonelli and George Russell
Kimi Antonelli and George Russell had a close and exciting battle on track during Saturday’s sprint at the Canadian Grand Prix.
The two Mercedes teammates, who are first and second in the Formula 1 drivers’ championship after four races, got tangled up in a couple of incidents on the sixth lap at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. Antonelli, who’s leading the championship, ended up twice on the grass and wasn’t happy about it, saying over the team radio, “That was very naughty. That should be a penalty, I was alongside the wing mirror.”
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff stepped in quickly and said, “Can we focus on driving, please, and not on the radio complaints?” Earlier, Antonelli had just missed out on pole position in a sprint qualifying session that had its own delays due to a red flag.
After the incident, Wolff told Sky Sports F1 that the tension inside the team wasn’t a big deal. “It was great drama to watch,” he said. “Tough racing not just between our two drivers, but also with Lando Norris and others. I liked it.”
He added, “Moments like this help us learn how to handle things better in the future. We don’t want our drivers crashing or losing races to each other. Sometimes a little reminder is needed about what our goals are. It’s not about picking sides; we just want clear rules. And I’m glad this happened during a sprint race with fewer points at stake, not in the main event.”
The young Italian, 19, has won the last three Grands Prix, while Russell had a Mercedes one-two finish last time out in China. Russell took the season opener in Australia but has finished just outside the podium in Japan and Miami. At the start of the Canadian GP this weekend, Antonelli leads Russell by 26 points.
Wolff hopes to see both Mercedes cars on the front row in Montreal, but Norris’s McLaren came between them in the sprint, creating even more competition. “When two cars break away, they start fighting hard, which can cost you the race. If that happens in the grand prix, Norris might end up winning,” Wolff said.