George Russell won the Canadian Grand Prix Sprint at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve after converting pole position into victory, but the real story of the race was the intra-team battle with Mercedes teammate Kimi Antonelli.
The 23-lap sprint saw the two drivers clash on track in a tense fight for the lead, setting off heated radio exchanges and post-race tension inside the garage.
What happened between Russell and Antonelli in Canadian GP Sprint?
Both Mercedes drivers started on the front row and locked into a direct fight for lead of the race. The key moment came on lap six when Antonelli attempted an overtake around the outside of Turn 1. The move resulted in contact, forcing Antonelli off track and allowing Russell to retain the lead.
Antonelli remained aggressive, attempting another attack later at the Turn 8-9 chicane, but a lock-up sent him off track again. Each incident increased frustration inside the cockpit, as the McLaren's defending champion Lando Norris made his way to P2. "It was certainly nice to be in that position,"
What did Kimi Antonelli say on radio and after the race?
"That was very naughty! That should be a penalty. I was alongside the mirror," Antonelli said on the team radio right after the Turn 1 moment.
"Let's just keep it cool," his race engineer Pete Bonington responded on the radio.
"So let's just get this back under control Kimi, focus on [Lando] Norris, focus on the driving," Bonington added on the radio.
"I don't care. He pushed me off", Antonelli's emotion was not settling right then the team principal, Toto Wolff, stepped in.
"Kimi, concentrate on the driving please, and not on the radio moaning," said Wolff.
"If we're going to race like this, then good to know," Antonelli again on the radio replied to "That's the chequered flag" by Bonington.
"Kimi, now is the first time to talk about this. We talk about this internally and not on the radio. Okay," Wolff concluded.
What did George Russell and Toto Wolff say?
Russell defended his approach later and said, "I need to check it as well," adding, "From my side, I didn't think I did anything wrong and it wasn't investigated."
He also explained, "You never get overtaken around the outside of that corner," while praising his teammate: "Kudos to Kimi for giving it a go … I respect that."
After the race, Sky Sports F1 revealed what Wolff told Russell after the incident off the track, "Would Verstappen have left space? No. Would Max have opened the door? He wouldn't. So it is important for [Kimi and George] to decide how they want to race each other."
The sprint ended without investigation, with Russell closing his gap to 18 points from teammate and leader Kimi Antonelli who now sits with 106 points.
What Happened During Canadian Grand Prix Qualifying?
In the Qualifying race later that day, GeorgeRussell snatched pole position from Formula One championship-leading Mercedes teammate Kimi Antonelli with a last-gasp lap at the Canadian Grand Prix on Saturday.
Russell,winner of the day's earlier sprint racefrom pole, crossed the line 0.068 of a second faster than the Italian right at the end of the session after the 19-year-old had gone quicker than everyone else.
"That is the most exhilarating feeling in the world when it comes last minute out of nowhere," the Britonsaid on theteam radio after a whoop of joy. "We made that a bit tricky…"
McLaren's Lando Norris, the reigning champion, will start in third place on Sunday with Australian teammate Oscar Piastri alongside for what could be a wet race with race director Rui Marques declaring a'Rain Hazard'.
(With inputs from Reuters)