Mercedes has decided not to impose team orders after the intense clashes between Kimi Antonelli and George Russell at the Formula 1 Canadian Grand Prix. Even after the incidents between the two drivers in Montreal, the team confirmed that both will remain free to race for positions on the track.
This decision is important for the remainder of the season, since Antonelli and Russell remain involved in the fight for wins and the championship. After internal meetings held prior to the Monaco Grand Prix, the team’s management chose to trust their drivers’ judgement rather than impose stricter rules.
Antonelli revealed that the talks took place right after the Canadian weekend and continued in the days leading up to the Monaco round. According to the Italian, all the episodes from the race were reviewed before a joint conclusion was reached.
“We had this conversation after the race weekend and also a few days before coming here. We reviewed all the episodes of the Montreal race. Essentially, the conclusion was that we can race freely against each other, as long as there is respect and that we do not put ourselves in a situation that could harm one of us or both,” he said.
The championship leader stressed that Mercedes does not intend to impose restrictions on the internal competition: “The team doesn’t want to set rules. Of course they want both cars to finish and the largest possible number of points. This is also very clear to us, because we race for ourselves, we want to win and be the best, but we also race for the team and want to reward more than two thousand people working in Brackley and Brixworth,” he said.
Antonelli believes the battle will continue as intensely as in Canada, though with a somewhat more cautious approach: “We’ll keep racing one against the other as we did in Canada, but a little more intelligently. The team wants us to race freely because that is the right path. You can’t put a leash on a driver who is fighting for wins and the championship and simply tell him to back off,” he added.
Russell reinforced his teammate’s stance, and guaranteed that there are no concerns after the recent episodes. The Briton emphasized that the team’s trust has been maintained and that the drivers know exactly what the limits are within direct competition.
