(Motorsport-Total.com) – Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff is now more than ready to implement team orders if necessary. Kimi Antonelli’s victory at the Belgian Grand Prix has not changed this shift.
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“Today, our mission was to not cost each other any time,” Wolff said after the race. The team boss was responding to the question of whether, given the current championship situation, it was time to start thinking about securing the title for Antonelli. Russell is now also 50 championship points behind the leader.
“We don’t want yo-yo racing, just so Ferrari and Red Bull are on our heels and we lose the win,” Wolff explained. “That’s what happened in Barcelona. You know, without the retirement, Kimi would have won the race.”
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In Barcelona, Antonelli and Russell not only fought against each other but also against Lewis Hamilton for the Grand Prix victory. Due to the internal team battle, both lost a lot of time to Hamilton’s Ferrari, allowing the seven-time world champion to return to the track ahead of both Mercedes despite another pit stop.
A few laps before the end, after Antonelli had overtaken Russell, the 19-year-old had to retire his Silver Arrow with a technical defect.
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Already in Montreal, the wheel-to-wheel duels between the two championship contenders had caused a stir in the Mercedes garage. Although Russell’s technical retirement ultimately decided the Grand Prix here, both came extremely close to each other several times.
“Since Barcelona,” said the team boss, “we would prioritize the race win in any case. And if that means Kimi or George is ahead, then that’s exactly what we would do.”
Wolff also emphasized once again the relevance of the Constructors’ World Championship for the Silver Arrows. However, they do not want to make a preliminary decision in the Drivers’ World Championship in favor of Antonelli: “We would never take a victory away from any of our drivers. So if George is ahead, we wouldn’t do anything about it, even if he’s behind in the championship.”
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