Patrese: “If I were Toto Wolff, I wouldn’t have been happy with Kimi Antonelli’s race conduct in the Canadian Sprint”
Andrea Kimi Antonelli and George Russell went wheel-to-wheel in both the Sprint and the Grand Prix in Canada, producing some of the most intense intra-team battles of the weekend. In the Sprint, the fight ultimately cost Kimi Antonelli a position, while in the main race George Russell was forced to retire from contention due to a technical issue.
According to former Formula 1 driver Riccardo Patrese, what happened in Montreal likely prompted a reaction from Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff.
Kimi Antonelli’s aggressive approach in Canada
“If I were Toto Wolff, I would not have been very happy with what happened in the Sprint race in Canada, because Kimi Antonelli’s aggression could have caused an accident,” Riccardo Patrese said when speaking to F1 Hospitality provider Vision4Sport, which, in partnership with Alpine, offers an exclusive Monaco yacht experience.
“I believe Toto, very diplomatically after the race, told both drivers not to risk causing an accident again. In my day things were different. With Patrick Head, I took a big risk when I overtook Nigel Mansell at the end of the straight in Mexico after a poor start, and then went on to win the Grand Prix.”
“The overtake was a little risky, and afterward Head came charging at us. He was so angry that he looked as though he wanted to smash our heads with a hammer.”
No repeat of the 1992 Williams situation
Patrese does not believe Mercedes will favour George Russell in the way Williams was perceived to favour Nigel Mansell during the 1992 season.
“It’s difficult to predict how the relationship between George and Kimi will evolve because it depends on the character of both drivers,” Patrese concluded.
“It’s a difficult situation for George. Previously, he was Lewis Hamilton’s number two and there was no real contest. Lewis Hamilton was the number one driver.”
“Now George Russell probably thought that, as the new team leader, he would not have any rivals within the team. At Mercedes there are no team orders. They treat both drivers equally.”
“Mercedes will not favour George Russell over Kimi Antonelli simply because he is not British. In my case, back in 1992, there really was an issue because I was an Italian driver in a British team alongside a British driver, Nigel Mansell. Allowing an Italian to win was not really part of their plans.”
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