Not only on the track, but also in the post-race press conference, teammates George Russel and Kimi Antonelli clashed with each other. The atmosphere was tense after both drivers settled on the couch in the media center to answer questions from the press. It led to a game of cat and mouse.
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The first reactions of both drivers after the finish were already telling, but the duo then cheerfully bickered further in the press conference. Not directly, but in the phrasing of the answers to reporters’ questions. Where Russell, for example, thought you couldn’t overtake, Antonelli laughed mockingly and then calmly stated that as far as he was concerned, you can always and everywhere overtake someone. “If you are just close enough. And I was.”
‘No place where you do this’
The remark followed a response from Russell: “No one has overtaken on the outside in turn 1 yet. That is not a place where you do something like that.” Antonelli responded quite explicitly, with a 180-degree different opinion.
That it also didn’t work in turn 8, the Italian did consider his own fault. “I was too enthusiastic, almost spun as well. That was on me.”
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Sneer
The duel in turn 1, however, did not work out. And that not only resulted in a critical note from Antonelli addressed to Russell, but also a sneer towards the team. “We had a team meeting beforehand about how we race against each other. Apparently, I interpreted the essence of that meeting differently.”
There was clearly dissatisfaction on both sides. That promises something for the rest of this season. “Emotions might be running a bit high,” said Russell, clearly pointing to the anger he also felt towards his teammate. “We will probably discuss it again.” And Antonelli, clearly, on a follow-up question. “We will definitely talk about it. We even touched each other. That can’t be the intention.”
It immediately brings to mind, combined with the firm tone of team boss Toto Wolff, how the clashes between Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton once were at Mercedes. What started as a good relationship ended with teammates who, fighting for championships, regularly got in each other’s way or even slid off the track together.
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