Former Haas Method 1 workforce principal Guenther Steiner has heaped reward on Mercedes boss Toto Wolff for permitting his drivers, George Russell and Kimi Antonelli, to battle it out on monitor on the Canadian Grand Prix.
The 2026 F1 season has launched a brand new wave of laws to the championship, which has coincided with a dominant begin for Mercedes. The Brackley outfit has gained each grand prix to date. Whereas Russell picked up the primary victory of the season on the Australian Grand Prix, it has been Antonelli who has gained each grand prix since.
The Italian driver grew to become the youngest driver to steer the championship and has additionally turn out to be the primary driver to win his first 4 grands prix consecutively, with wins in China, Japan, Miami and Canada.
The Canadian Grand Prix weekend provided followers the primary glimpse of a tense intra-team battle in each the dash race and grand prix. Though frustrations bubbled over throughout the dash race, with Antonelli fuming on the workforce radio that his team-mate had compelled him off the monitor, all appeared to have been resolved by the point the grand prix started on the Sunday.
The pair had an thrilling and tense battle for the primary 30 laps of the grand prix earlier than Russell was compelled to retire from the race. Whereas many argued that if the drivers had been left to battle till the chequered flag, it will have probably led to a crash, Steiner championed the choice throughout The Pink Flags Podcast.
Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes, George Russell, Mercedes
Picture by: Andy Hone/ LAT Photographs through Getty Photographs
“Toto Wolff,” he stated when requested who his ‘Rockstar’ of the week was. “And you already know why? As a result of he allow them to race. He did not intervene, did not say something, simply allow them to on the market. And you don’t have any concept. I believe the rockstar must be the one who is cleansing his pants as a result of he should have been there s****ing, however honest play to him.”
Requested whether or not there would have been conversations behind closed doorways following Antonelli’s dash race frustrations, the previous Haas chief added: “I do not know. I believe for positive Kimi and George spoke about it. I am fairly positive about it, however I do not assume it helped loads as a result of, on Sunday, they have been at one another like on Saturday.
“So, sure, I am positive. However for Toto to not put an finish to it was exceptional, good for my part.”
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