Mercedes Team Principal Toto Wolff admits that the way George Russell and Kimi Antonelli battle each other is something the Silver Arrows “need to discuss with them for the future”, due to the increasing threat of Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari.
The Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix last weekend produced another battle between the Mercedes team mates, with Antonelli passing Russell in the closing laps only to suffer a mechanical issue as Russell finished P2.
Their scrap in Spain is not the first time the pair have gone wheel-to-wheel this season, with the duo engaging in a thrilling battle for the win in Canada, with Russell suffering a retirement while leading as Antonelli went on to claim victory.
The pair had also gone wheel-to-wheel in the Canada Sprint, with Antonelli taking to the grass at one stage, and Wolff stating after the weekend that their battle was “just acceptable”.
But last Sunday’s race was the first time Mercedes were beaten in a Grand Prix in 2026, as Hamilton claimed his first win for Ferrari and, in the process, moved to just 41 points behind Antonelli.
It has prompted Wolff to suggest that the rules of engagement between his drivers might need to be re-evaluated, as their on-track squabble cost themselves several seconds that potentially aided Hamilton before he rejoined in the lead after making his final pit stop under a Virtual Safety Car.
“They raced each other quite hard before George’s stop and I think we lost four, five, six seconds to Lewis, and then obviously with the VSC, it changed the order,” Wolff told Sky Sports F1.
“We tried to race fair in the team game but maybe it cost us the win today and that’s something we need to discuss with the drivers, how are we doing it if we’re fighting somebody else for a race win.
“We’re leaving lap time on the track and we need to discuss with them for the future.”
Speaking later, Wolff added: “I’ve always said that there is a third party now getting involved in the championship fight, constructor and driver.
“And in that respect, we will discuss internally with the two drivers how we want to handle a situation where we risk holding each other up. And I think it’s not going to be a problem. It’s just maybe we need to recalibrate.”
