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Toto Wolff has confirmed what Canada made obvious: the battle between Kimi Antonelli and George Russell inside Mercedes is now fully underway, and the team is going to have to manage it carefully for the remaining nineteen races of the season.
Both Drivers Want to Win and That Is the Problem
Wolff spoke about the intra-team dynamic after a weekend where the two Mercedes drivers fought for the lead of both the sprint race and the Grand Prix, made contact on multiple occasions, and pushed each other to a level that Wolff himself described as "just about acceptable" at certain moments.
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"We are going to look together at whether this is really the level of racing we want to see and why certain situations arose. There were moments that could perhaps have been avoided, but this fight is now more underway than ever."
He was also direct about what the team is obligated to accept when it has two drivers fighting for a championship. "There is enormously much at stake for both of them. As a team you have to accept that this is sometimes uncomfortable, because this is exactly what they have been trained for."
The Line That Wolff Will Not Allow to Be Crossed
The freedom to race has limits, and Wolff stated them plainly. "If we notice that the team's points are at risk or we are losing too much time to the competition, we will not hesitate for a single millisecond to pull the handbrake."
He also addressed Antonelli's radio behaviour during the sprint, when the young Italian repeatedly complained about Russell and pushed for a penalty to be issued against his teammate. "Showing emotions is part of a title fight, but the focus must stay on the driving. They can race hard, but they are under scrutiny. We have seen situations that could easily have resulted in two retirements, and as a driver you know exactly how much risk you are taking."
The tone from Wolff is one of controlled tolerance. The fight can continue. But the team is watching.
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