The air seems to have cleared up for now at Mercedes. The two drivers – George Russell and Andrea Kimi Antonelli – were involved in a fierce battle for victory during the sprint race in Canada, with the young Italian going off track several times. The tensions between the two teammates were still palpable after the session, but the hatchet has now been buried: ‘We know how we are going to race each other going forward,’ said Russell.
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George Russell and Andrea Kimi Antonelli were ready for a 1-2 finish for their team Mercedes during the sprint race in Canada. However, a fierce fight for the lead broke out between the two drivers, with the young Italian losing his second place to Lando Norris. After the shortened race session, Kimi Antonelli was furious and accused Russell of pushing him off the track. The two drivers even clashed in the press conference after the sprint.
Mercedes quickly brought the two drivers together to ease the tensions. And that worked, as Kimi Antonelli confirmed. “We talked about it, everything was cleared up and now everything is fine,” the Italian told the media in Montreal. “We reviewed it again and spoke with Toto, and now everything is fine.”
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Russell agreed with that sentiment. “Yes, as Kimi said, everything is fine,” the Brit also said. “We had a good conversation and we know what we have to do and how we are going to race each other. And nothing will change, because we have always had respect for each other. We don’t just let anyone pass, whether it’s a competitor or a teammate.”
Russell understands Antonelli’s reaction
The older Mercedes driver also understood why his younger teammate reacted so fiercely over the radio after the battle on track. “If I had been in his shoes and he in mine, I probably would have reacted the same way,” Russell admitted. “Because if something doesn’t pay off at that moment and you feel you have been treated unfairly, you think the other person is at fault. And that’s just human. We are drivers, we are fighters and we wear our hearts on our sleeves.”
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