George Russell Has a Clear Message for Kimi Antonelli: “I’m Not Just Going to Wave Somebody by”
George Russell won the Canadian Grand Prix Sprint at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve on Saturday, but the result was almost secondary to what unfolded in the opening laps. Antonelli started pressing hard around lap five, attacking around the outside at Turn 1 only to find no room left and end up on the grass. A second attempt at Turn 8 ended in a similar fashion, with Antonelli bouncing across the escape area and losing second place to Norris.
The 19-year-old was furious over team radio, labelling Russell’s defence “very naughty” and demanding a penalty, before Toto Wolff himself cut in to tell his driver to stop moaning and focus on the race. Russell’s version of events: “I was just taking my normal line into turn two and that’s all I have to say really,” he told Sky Sports F1 . On the broader question of how the two teammates handle each other going forward, he said: “You race each other hard but fair, and from my side, there’s never ill intentions towards anything.
But on the same note, I’m not just going to wave somebody by. ” The FIA Didn’t Investigate, and That’s Where Russell Left It Antonelli repeatedly went off track during the battle and was ultimately held to third, despite multiple calls for Russell to be penalised. The stewards looked at it and moved on, which was all Russell needed to hear.
“I’ve got the peace of mind that it wasn’t investigated. And if the FIA think it was fine, then that’s enough,” he said. Russell came into this weekend 20 points behind Antonelli in the standings, after the Italian teenager took three consecutive Grand Prix victories.
A Sprint win in Montreal, a circuit where Russell has historically been quick, is exactly the kind of answer he needed. Antonelli finished third after briefly passing Norris on the final lap before running wide at Turn 1 , while Russell managed the race on mediums to preserve his fresh rubber for Sunday in case of wet conditions. As for the intra-team dynamic, Russell wasn’t losing sleep over it.