Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff conceded that the team could have looked "like idiots" had Kimi Antonelli been unable to escape from the Monza gravel after a failed overtake on George Russell.
Antonelli started the Italian Grand Prix from 19th place but, with the aid of an early red flag to bunch the field back up, had closed to Russell's gearbox by lap 16. Having pitted behind the virtual safety car for fresh medium tyres, Antonelli again caught his team-mate with a handful of laps remaining, but ended up in the gravel at the Rettifilo chicane after traversing a patch of broken-up asphalt when attempting an overtake.
Wolff was less than impressed by the error that could have had a humiliating outcome. "The last incident was unfortunate," he said. "George tried not to cut the corner, and Kimi then, obviously, on the marbles went straight, and that could have ended up in a disaster when it comes to the race result, and we would have been like idiots."
"So we will be talking about that situation as another building block of how to go and race in the future. But I think it showed the racing spirit in the team and have them war [with] each other," added Wolff.
Mercedes has always maintained that it does not have a clear number one and number two driver structure, but has two number ones, and is happy to let them race. However, with the experience of several heated seasons that saw Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg develop a fierce in-team rivalry, Wolff has developed an element of caution as to when a battle should be called off, with the Monza race testing his limits.
This was most evident when Antonelli and Russell were swapping places on multiple occasions each lap during the middle of the race, something that was allowing Max Verstappen to keep within reach of the lead pair. "We're trying to anticipate possible scenarios, and the two of them have an ingrained understanding, and [that is also] ingrained in the team," he said.
"The team component, which is difficult for a race driver that wins, that is that tries to win a Grand Prix, especially for Kimi in Monza, especially for George, who needs to keep scoring points in order to stay in the [title] race; they've always been clean. At times, we were thinking it's clean, but it's a bit close, and I had my finger on the button, to Marcus, to Bono, to Kimi, to George, but didn't push it," he concluded.
Read Also
Charles Leclerc blames media for pushing a Ferrari rivalry narrative after his clash with Lewis Hamilton at the Italian GP. Hamilton responds sharply.
Lewis Hamilton rejects Charles Leclerc's version of their Monza clash, asserting he was ahead at Turn 2 and calling for procedural changes within Ferrari.
Andrea Kimi Antonelli wins the 2026 Italian GP from P19, making history as the first Italian winner at Monza in 60 years. Ferrari falters, Leclerc crashes, and Russell concedes.
Continue with Google
Discussion (0)
Join the Discussion!
Sign in easily to start commenting, replying, and interacting with other readers.
Latest Comments
No comments yet. Be the first!