Kimi Antonelli has revealed details of a conversation with George Russell and team boss Toto Wolff following their on-track clash in the Canada Sprint.
Antonelli said that everything is now “all clear” with teammate George Russell after they spoke about their Sprint battle in Canada. The Italian driver explained that they are still “free to race” as they get ready to share the front row again on Sunday.
Feisty Sprint Battle and Qualifying
A feisty battle occurred between the Mercedes pair during the 100km dash. Contact was made before Antonelli subsequently slipped backwards by one position, leading to some aggrieved radio messages.
The Silver Arrows drivers then secured first and second on the grid as Qualifying for Sunday’s Grand Prix took place hours later, with Russell taking pole position by just 0.068s from Antonelli.
Conversation Post-Sprint
Antonelli was asked after the session if he had spoken with Russell and the team about the Sprint events before Qualifying. He answered: “Yeah of course, we had a chat with George and Toto [Wolff] and now it’s all clear.”
Expanding on this, the 19-year-old added: “We clarified about the race. We recognised our own mistakes, so now obviously we’re free to race but of course we need to race with respect.”
Looking Ahead to the Grand Prix
All eyes will be on the pair to see if they follow this approach when they line up for Sunday’s race. Qualifying for the Grand Prix proved trickier for Mercedes than Friday’s Sprint Qualifying had.
Antonelli said: “It’s the same gap as yesterday so obviously it’s a pity, but I think overall it was still a decent session.”
He added: “It was very tricky to get tyres in the right window, but we tried our best. That last lap, I finished it and then I was a bit… not too sure. It felt like ‘I wish I had another run’, but it is what it is. George did a great lap, and now I will try to get it back tomorrow.”