Russell-Antonelli clash sparks rules of engagement questions as Mercedes title fight heats up
The Mercedes teammates had their first on-track clash in Canada with Russell coming out on top.
Mercedes’ first flashpoint between George Russell and Kimi Antonelli at the Canadian Sprint has prompted Toto Wolff to revisit one familiar topic: rules of engagement.
In a season in which Mercedes could engage in an intra-team title fight, with Mercedes putting distance between itself and its rivals with its Montreal updates, Russell and Antonelli had their first on-track clash on Saturday.
Toto Wolff addresses George Russell and Kimi Antonelli clash
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The teammates were fighting for position on lap 6 when Antonelli tried to pass Russell around the outside at Turn 1. He drew alongside his teammate, only for Russell to shut the door and force Antonelli onto the escape road.
The Italian tried again at Turn 7 and got up the inside of Russell before having the door slammed shut once more. This time, he took to the grass in a spray of grass cuttings and sand.
The teammates survived the incidents and went on to finish first and third, Russell taking the win and cutting Antonelli’s lead in the Drivers’ standings by two points.
Rather than be upset by the near-disaster, Wolff declared it was a good time to open the door to a discussion on Mercedes’ rules of engagement.
After all, he’s already been through this once with Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg, and that ended with the drivers paying for the damage to their cars, as well as the threat of a ban.
“That was good, like sports should be – an inter-team battle or outside, and for us, it’s good learning,” Wolff told Sky Sports F1.
“We obviously went through these motions with Nico and Lewis. Sprint races, there’s always a possibility to recalibrate or recondition, and it was very easy.
“We sat them down and said, ‘How do we want to race? Are we racing the other car like any third car, which I’m fine with, and obviously, you don’t leave any space there, or do you want to leave the space? Which I would not expect, because fundamentally you are racing for winning and winning the championship. Or are we playing this super-smooth sailing, and you only overtake each other on the straight under braking?’
“We agreed that we trust them, they know how to push. But in any case, no one is expecting the other one to leave space, because it’s too important.”
The team principal also weighed in on Antonelli’s repeated complaints about Russell’s antics, with the championship leader saying it was “very naughty”, calling for a “penalty” and finally telling his race engineer Pete Bonnington, “That was not fair, he pushed me off!”
Wolff got on the radio and told the 19-year-old to “concentrate on the driving and not on the radio moaning” before adding, “It’s the fourth time to talk about this, we shall talk about this internally and not on team radio.”
Wolff explained his radio messages.
“I said with the two of them that it’s valid for George, and it was equally valid for Lewis back in the day. When Lewis went on a rant, I simply stopped it. I remember in Austria saying ‘Just drive the car. Stop complaining’,” he said. “And particularly here.
“Say it once, vent it. We’re the bin for your emotion, so that’s okay. Don’t be rude, don’t insult, but don’t keep going on, because then you’re wasting my time, because then all the interviews that I need to do are about the star wars here or whether the rivalry is getting out of control.
“I’m 100 per cent sure that I’m going to look like a fool a few times this year, but it’s okay.”
As for Antonelli, he revealed that the drivers’ conversation with Wolff had gone well, and they are still free to race in the Grand Prix with no hard feelings left over from the Sprint.
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“We are still free to race – but race in a smarter way,” he said. “I go on track, give everything and race to win. When I have an opportunity, I go for it.
“Today was probably a bit too much on the limit from both of us but the most important thing is we clarified and moved forward.
We’ve reviewed, had a chat with Toto and it’s all good now.”
Russell will line up on pole position for the Canadian Grand Prix, with Antonelli P2 on the grid.
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