Kimi Antonelli reveals Mercedes verdict after fierce George Russell duel
The Mercedes duo fought hard for the lead in Canada, and discussed their racing rules of engagement.
Kimi Antonelli and George Russell confirmed they are still free to race at Mercedes, as long as they do not put themselves or each other at risk.
The two early title contenders attacked and defended strongly while jostling for the lead last time out in Canada, prompting questions as to whether Mercedes would intervene in their battling.
Kimi Antonelli explains Mercedes racing rules with George Russell
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Antonelli now leads the Drivers’ standings by 43 points at this stage of the season, with Russell having retired in Montréal following a reliability issue.
The Mercedes pair had fought for the lead and traded places throughout the first half of the race before that, with neither driver shy in getting the elbows out in attack or defence.
Antonelli and Russell have since met with Mercedes to clarify the rules of engagement between them.
For the young Italian, the message was simple – they are free to race but remain mindful of damage.
As the teenager pointed out, though, with both drivers wanting glory for themselves, it is difficult to “put a leash” on either.
“We had this discussion after the race weekend,” Antonelli told PlanetF1.com and other media.
“Actually, we had one a couple of days ago before coming here, and we had a chat, we reviewed all the episodes of the race, and, basically, the end of the discussion was, ‘you can race each other freely, as long as there’s respect, and as long as you don’t put yourself in situations that could damage one of you or both of you.’
“The team doesn’t want to put any rules. Understandably, they want both cars to finish and to get as many points as possible for the team, and that is very well in our minds as well, because we race for ourselves, because we want to be the best, we want to win, but we also race for the team because we want to reward as well the 2000-plus people that works back in Brackley and Brixworth, and we want the team to win as well.
“We were well aware, and for sure, we’re going to keep racing each other like we did in Canada. Of course, a bit more smartly, but definitely the team wants us to race freely, because it’s also the way to be.
“You can’t really put a leash on a driver that is fighting for wins and championships. You can’t really tell him, ‘Oh, just sit back.’ Of course, it can happen, but the team wants us to race freely.”
As for Russell, despite things getting a bit close for comfort between the pair in Canada, he remains unperturbed about going into battle against his teammate.
He pointed out that, while the team in the garage and the factory would likely be watching in trepidation as much as entertainment, the team’s stance remains they are free to race.
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“There’s no concern at all. It was left that we have to be trusted,” Russell said of their post-Canada talks.
“This is what we do. We’re drivers, we push ourselves to the limit every single lap, and when we race with one another, you push each other to the limits as well.
“Of course, when you’re sat on the sidelines, as you know, the pit wall are, or even like Toto [Wolff], of course it’s so stressful, intense, because you can’t control what is about to happen, and you want to be able to control it, but ultimately we have to be trusted, and we are trusted, and that’s how it’s been left.
“So, we’ll continue fighting hard. We know the boundaries of one another, and that was good.”
Additional reporting by Thomas Maher
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