(Motorsport-Total.com) – The spectacular Mercedes duel between George Russell and Kimi Antonelli thrilled Formula 1 fans in Montreal – but internally it also caused increasing nervousness.
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Because although the internal team battles on the track provided great entertainment, Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff had to admit after the Canadian Grand Prix that the situation was dangerously close to a disaster several times.
“In hindsight, of course, it’s easy to say: That was great for the team and great for the sport,” Wolff explains after the race. “And up to a certain point, that’s true.”
But at the same time, there is also the other side. “It was really very close several times,” warns the Austrian. Especially the scenes between Russell and Antonelli in the Grand Prix already reminded internally unpleasantly of the infamous Mercedes rivalry between Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg in 2016.
Back then, the internal team duel escalated publicly several times and cost Mercedes enormous energy internally. Wolff wants to prevent exactly such a scenario early this time.
Mercedes already had to calm drivers
There were already initial tensions in the sprint race. Antonelli appeared visibly frustrated after an aggressively defending Russell, which led Mercedes internally to even hold talks about the “Rules of Engagement” – that is, the rules for internal duels.
In the Grand Prix, the duel then continued. The situation became particularly critical in lap 24. In the last chicane, both Mercedes lightly touched while Antonelli had to evade through the runoff area. Shortly afterwards, the team intervened via radio and asked both drivers to act a bit more calmly.
For Wolff, this exact scene was a warning signal. “Kimi locked the tires while backing off,” he explains. “That could have quickly ended in a double retirement – not because of intentionally aggressive driving, but simply because of a small mistake.”
The situation in the last chicane also showed how quickly things could have escalated. “Today we had the necessary safety margin,” says Wolff. “That’s why it’s easy to accept that they fight against each other.” But exactly this reserve will not always be available.
Wolff considers restrictions
Therefore, Mercedes apparently no longer rules out internal team restrictions. “There could be situations where we might have to dial things down a bit,” Wolff openly explains.
A remarkable statement – especially so early in the season. Because Mercedes has so far deliberately pursued the approach of letting Russell and Antonelli race freely against each other. Especially in the early phase of the title fight, the team does not want to impose artificial team orders on its drivers.
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But internally, the concern apparently grows that the situation could escalate emotionally faster than expected. Above all, Antonelli’s development is currently massively changing the dynamics within the team. The young Italian no longer just keeps up with Russell – he actively attacks him. And exactly that is increasingly putting pressure internally.
Russell enjoys the duel – and looks back to 2014
George Russell himself was enthusiastic about the hard duel after the race. “I loved it,” said the Brit. “I haven’t had such a duel in years.”
Especially remarkable: Russell himself draws the comparison to the legendary Mercedes duels between Hamilton and Rosberg. “I probably last saw something like that in 2014 in Bahrain,” he says. “These new cars simply allow such fights again.”
Unlike Wolff, Russell currently sees the situation clearly under control. “We both know how to race against each other,” he explains. “I think we had it under control.”
Antonelli also found the battles extremely hard but still acceptable. “A few situations were maybe a bit on the limit,” said the Italian. “But we just fought against each other.”
Antonelli makes no secret of how important this direct duel was to him. “We both wanted to win,” he explains. “And I think it was quite entertaining for all the spectators.”
Antonelli increasingly puts pressure on Russell
Sportingly, the situation is becoming increasingly complicated for Russell. Because Antonelli already won his fourth race in a row in Canada and extended his lead in the World Championship to 43 points. At the same time, the young Italian now appears significantly more stable and aggressive than in his rookie season.
Exactly this noticeably changes the hierarchy at Mercedes. While Russell was long considered the clear number one, Antonelli is increasingly developing into the internal challenger – and possibly even the new team leader of the future.
For Toto Wolff, this creates a delicate balancing act. On the one hand, Mercedes wants to offer fans spectacular duels and give both drivers equal chances. On the other hand, the team knows from its own past all too well how quickly an internal rivalry can get out of control.
And that is exactly why the Canada weekend in Brackley will probably be analyzed internally much more seriously than the casual statements outwardly initially suggest.
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