Mercedes faced a tense atmosphere during the Formula 1 Canadian GP Sprint race this Saturday, following an aggressive battle between George Russell and Kimi Antonelli. Upset with his teammate, the Italian complained several times over the radio and forced the team principal, Toto Wolff, to intervene during the race in Montreal.
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This tension began in the early laps of the Sprint at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. In less than a lap, Antonelli went off onto the grass three times while trying to attack Russell for the race lead.
The first moment happened approaching the final chicane on lap four, when Antonelli put the car alongside the Brit, but lost space under braking and went off track. Shortly after, the young Mercedes driver tried again to overtake Russell on the outside at turn 1, even getting ahead at the apex before being pushed off again through turn 2.
There was even a wheel-to-wheel touch during the battle. When Antonelli returned from the grass to the track, Russell had to brake sharply to avoid a bigger accident between the teammates.
The situation sparked an explosive reaction from the Italian on the Mercedes radio: “That was very wrong. That should be punished. I was alongside his mirror!” Antonelli complained. Engineer Peter Bonnington asked the driver to calm down, but heard in response: “I don’t care. He pushed me off.”
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With the complaints persisting, Wolff decided to get on the radio to contain the situation: “Kimi, focus on driving, please, not on complaining on the radio,” said the team principal still during the Sprint.
Even after the checkered flag, Antonelli provoked Russell again by commenting: “If we have to race like this, good to know.” Wolff responded immediately and ended the discussion: “Now is the worst time to talk about this. We will discuss internally, not on the radio,” he said.
In the post-race press conference, both drivers acknowledged that tempers were high during the battle. Russell defended his move and said that outside overtakes at turn 1 in Montreal always involve risks: “There was only one direction I was going to go, I would close the line because it was my right to do so,” concluded the Brit.
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