Toto Wolff hints at future Mercedes team orders after George Russell and Kimi Antonelli battle

Mercedes enjoyed the spectacle of George Russell and Kimi Antonelli fighting for victory in Montreal — but Toto Wolff has warned the gloves could come off if things get too close.

While McLaren was criticised for its overuse of team orders in previous seasons, fans enjoyed watching Russell and Antonelli battle it out in Montreal, even if those inside the Mercedes garage did not always.

Toto Wolff warns Mercedes drivers over close battles

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The teammates went wheel-to-wheel in Saturday’s Sprint, with Antonelli left feeling aggrieved by Russell’s antics as he was forced off the track.

They were back at it a day later in the Grand Prix, trading the lead for the first 30 laps of the race with both drivers off the track at some point before a power unit issue put an end to Russell’s race.

Having the two cars battling with each other is never a sight any team principal would choose to see but Mercedes has history for letting their drivers get on with it.

Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton were allowed to race each other but that came to an ugly end in 2016 when the two crashed out of the Spanish Grand Prix, prompting a change of strategy from Mercedes.

However, the team once again looks to be okay with allowing its drivers to race with Antonelli and Russell coming close to contact multiple times in Montreal.

Team principal Wolff did suggest Mercedes may step in should it spiral out of hand.

“It’s always easy at the end now to say ‘well, that was great for the team and great for the sport, and didn’t we all enjoy watching the battle’,” he said. “And that is true to a degree, but there is another side, which we need to look at, that it was close a few times.

“Kimi tucking back in and locking the tyres could have ended in a double DNF, and not because of over-aggressive driving, simply by a mistake, and the same through the last chicane with a situation.

“So it’s important to analyse the risk, then discuss with the drivers whether they failed, if it was a bit close.

“And if that is the case, how can we avoid these very, very tough situations? Or let’s say situations where we deem it a little bit too close.”

Wolff suggested Mercedes is also allowed the luxury to let their drivers fight given the gap between them and the rest of the field.

“There is another angle that we had a pace advantage today, that when they were driving behind each other, we were going half a second quicker than everybody behind us, but there could well be when we were not, when they were fighting, we were losing a second to all the others, so we had the gap, we had the margin today, and then it’s easy to accept that they are fighting to a certain degree, but obviously that’s not going to always be the case.

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“So as much as we look very sportsman-like today, allowing it, there could be a situation where we would maybe, maybe turn it down a notch.”

One thing Wolff did not appreciate though was his drivers campaigning for the other to get a penalty. During the sprint race, Antonelli suggested his team-mate should have been punished after an incident in Turn 1.

“When you listen to some of the radio comms, I think there’s room for improvement, but in wearing a heart on sleeve, it’s right, but concentrate on the driving, that’s important.

“I think they behaved like race drivers that race for a championship, so I wouldn’t be able to see a fault in that.

“[On specifically asking for penalties] That’s something we clear internally.”

Antonelli’s fourth victory of the season moved him onto 131 points in the Drivers’ standings, putting him 43 points clear of Russell.

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