Russell And Antonelli Urge Mercedes To ‘Trust’ Them After Wolff Sit-Down In Canada

Mercedes deputy team principal Bradley Lord has revealed details of the talks between George Russell, Kimi Antonelli, and Toto Wolff at the Canadian Grand Prix.
Russell and Antonelli went wheel-to-wheel for the win during the sprint race in Montreal, with the two cars briefly touching heading into Turn 1 on lap six.
The pair made contact again at Turn 8, where Antonelli locked up and went onto the grass during the intense battle between the two Mercedes drivers.
Antonelli was quick to voice his complaints over team radio, crying out: “That was very naughty. He pushed me off!”
As Antonelli continued to air his grievances over the radio, team principal Wolff intervened to quieten him, clearly unimpressed by the public nature of the criticism.
Speaking on the Mercedes Silver Arrows Radio Show, Lord unpacked the weekend and revealed what was said during the meeting between the drivers and their team boss.
“After the sprint [in Canada], there was a sit-down and a chat with Toto as well with the two drivers just talking about how the sprint had gone and really how did they want to race each other going forward,” Lord explained.
Lord noted that Antonelli himself described the experience in a memorable way, comparing it to a visit to the headmaster’s or principal’s office.
“But that again was actually a very constructive and very amicable conversation,” Lord added, suggesting the atmosphere remained positive despite the tensions that had emerged on track.
“The message from the drivers was really, really clear: ‘Trust us to race each other. That’s what you’ve hired us to do. And we can do it and we’re capable of doing it.'”
Lord also outlined the broader principle the team took away from the discussion, emphasising that racing must always serve Mercedes first rather than individual driver priorities.
The incident and subsequent meeting highlight the delicate balance Mercedes must manage as their two drivers push each other hard for results across the season.
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