Toto Wolff believes the battle for victory between Kimi Antonelli and George Russell on the Italian Grand Prix “might have resulted in catastrophe” – and the Mercedes Components 1 squad “would have seemed like idiots”.
Antonelli began his house race down in nineteenth, courtesy of a grid penalty for exceeding his energy unit allowance, however fought his approach as much as second place in simply 16 laps.
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A 12-lap battle with Russell ensued, with the Silver Arrows buying and selling the race lead a number of occasions, till a digital security automotive intervention supplied the chance of a pitstop for Antonelli, who emerged again on observe simply 14 seconds behind his team-mate.
Recent tyres meant the 20-year-old Italian caught the lead automotive with six laps remaining, and the decisive battle for victory occurred then – with a scare on lap 49, as Russell minimize Flip 2 whereas Antonelli slid broad into the gravel entice.
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They nonetheless achieved a 1-2, with Antonelli main Russell by 4 seconds and Max Verstappen by 15s beneath the chequered flag. Nonetheless, it positively wasn’t snug for Mercedes workforce principal Wolff, who thought-about reaching out to his drivers’ race engineers, Marcus Dudley and Peter ‘Bono’ Bonnington.
“We’re attempting to anticipate attainable eventualities, and the 2 of them have been nice in understanding and embracing the workforce element – which is troublesome for a race driver that tries to win a grand prix, particularly for Kimi in Monza, particularly for George, who must hold scoring factors so as to keep within the Toto Wolff uneasy as Mercedes drivers fought at Monza: “That would have resulted in catastrophe” race,” the Austrian contemplated. “However they’ve at all times been clear.
“At occasions, we had been pondering, ‘It is clear, however it is a bit shut’. And I had a finger on the button to Marcus, to Bono, to Kimi, to George, however I did not push it.
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Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes, George Russell, Mercedes
Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes, George Russell, Mercedes
“The final incident was unlucky. George tried to not minimize the nook, and Kimi then clearly on the marbles, going straight, and that would have ended up in a catastrophe in the case of the race consequence. We’d have seemed like idiots.
“We will probably be speaking about that scenario as one other constructing block of how we wish to race sooner or later. However I believe it was price to point out the racing spirit within the workforce and have them go at one another.”
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It was recommended to Russell that the battle could also be harking back to the Canadian Grand Prix – one other race with drawn-out Mercedes wheel-to-wheel fight for the lead – which he tentatively agreed with.
Regardless, the Briton expressed remorse that Antonelli’s pitstop ended their prolonged duel.
“I’d have cherished to have continued on the identical technique as a result of I felt in an excellent place in that battle,” he mentioned. “I type of knew precisely what I wanted to do with the vitality administration to defend, but additionally when to assault and make these strikes, and I put a number of preparation into this race in that regard.
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“Then, in fact, when the VSC got here out, it form of got here out at that good level for the drivers to drag the set off and take the pitstop. And, yeah, right here we’re.”
Having didn’t win for a fifth grand prix in a row, Russell is now 66 factors adrift of Antonelli within the drivers’ standings.
Further reporting by Ronald Vording
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