Mercedes team orders? Kimi Antonelli: “Clear message from team principal Toto Wolff”

The Mercedes duo of George Russell and Kimi Antonelli experienced very different finishes to the Grand Prix at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. Whilst the experienced British driver was able to celebrate second place behind Ferrari winner Lewis Hamilton, the championship leader from Bologna had to settle for 16th place. Shortly before the chequered flag was waved, the battery in his car failed, forcing the Italian teenager to retire five laps before the end of the race. On top of that, he received a five-second time penalty for repeatedly leaving the track.

He had put up a valiant fight against his team-mate and had even overtaken him shortly before his retirement. Yet it was precisely this duel between the team-mates that had repercussions within the team. The duel caused both drivers to lose a lot of time, and team principal Toto Wolff announced immediately after the race: “We will discuss how to deal with a situation where there is a difference in pace when we are fighting for a win or there is a risk of losing a win.”

Mercedes team orders a possibility

And this was precisely the subject of a meeting between the drivers and the team principal, as Antonelli revealed in the paddock at the Red Bull Ring: “We talked about it, and Toto’s message was very clear.”

The 54-year-old Viennese made it clear: should the Mercedes driver duo come under pressure from one of their Formula 1 rivals, his drivers must take a back seat. “If we find ourselves in a situation like the one in Barcelona again, then there will be team orders, especially if one of us is clearly faster than the other. But if there’s no pressure from another team, then we’re allowed to continue battling each other freely, as we did in Montreal, for example,” revealed the 19-year-old.

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