‘Room for improvement’ – Toto Wolff unimpressed by Antonelli team radio message

Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff has admitted that there is “room for improvement” in how Kimi Antonelli and George Russell conduct themselves over team radio.

It comes after Antonelli was heard calling for his teammate to be given a penalty during last weekend’s Canadian Grand Prix Sprint race.

Toto Wolff did not ‘appreciate’ Antonelli call for George Russell penalty

Want more PlanetF1.com coverage? Add us as a preferred source on Google to your favourites list for news you can trust

Mercedes has emerged as the clear favourites for the F1 2026 titles having won each of the five rounds held to date.

The battle for the drivers’ championship between Antonelli and Russell intensified last weekend in Canada, where the Mercedes pair put on a thrilling show.

Antonelli was heard calling for Russell to be penalised after a skirmish between the pair during the Sprint race in Montreal, which saw Antonelli eased off the circuit after launching an ambitious move around the outside of his teammate.

George Russell vs Kimi Antonelli: Mercedes head-to-head stats for F1 2026 season

F1 2026: Head-to-head qualifying statistics between teammates

F1 2026: Head-to-head race statistics between teammates

“That was very naughty,” Antonelli said before adding: “That should be a penalty. I was alongside the mirror.”

Told by his race engineer Peter Bonnington to remain under control and focus on overtaking Lando Norris’s McLaren, Antonelli replied: “Yeah, I don’t care. He pushed me off!”

This comment prompted Wolff to make a rare intervention over team radio, telling his driver: “Kimi, concentrate on the driving, please, and not on the radio moaning.”

Antonelli and Russell enjoyed another thrilling battle in the main race before the latter suffered what Mercedes technical director James Allison described as a “catastrophic” battery failure.

Russell’s first retirement of the season means he now trails Antonelli by 43 points after the teenager collected a fourth consecutive victory.

Wolff has rejected suggestions that the Mercedes drivers put their own interests ahead of those of the team in Canada, insisting there was no problem with the approaches of Antonelli and Russell.

Yet he conceded that there is “room for improvement” in terms of communications over team radio, vowing to address the matter “internally.”

Asked if he is concerned that the drivers’ own interests could hurt the team, Wolff said: “No, I don’t think so.

“Obviously, when you listen to some of the radio comms, I think there’s room for improvement.

“But in terms of wearing your heart on your sleeve, it’s right. But not – how can I say? – concentrate on the driving, that’s important.

“But other than that, I think they behaved like race drivers that race for a championship.

“So I wouldn’t be able to see a fault in that [approach].”

Put to him directly that radio messages like Antonelli’s calling for a Russell penalty risk attracting the attention of stewards, Wolff added: “That’s something we can clear internally.

“But I don’t appreciate so much elaborating on emotions on the radio.”

Want to be the first to know exclusive information from the F1 paddock? Join our broadcast channel on WhatsApp to get the scoop on the latest developments from our team of accredited journalists.

You can also subscribe to the PlanetF1 YouTube channel for exclusive features, hear from our paddock journalists with stories from the heart of Formula 1 and much more!

Read next: Mercedes exits Alpine stake race as Christian Horner hurdle removed