As the fight for the world title heats up, some observers believe that Mercedes would be making a mistake by intervening in the rivalry between George Russell and Kimi Antonelli.
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The German team currently dominates the championship thanks to a particularly competitive car, but attention is now as much on the internal battle between its two drivers as on its results on track.
The first tensions appeared during the Sprint of the Canadian Grand Prix, where Russell and Antonelli were involved in a collision (photo above) that could have had much more serious consequences.
Rich man’s problem
The incident prompted the team boss, Toto Wolff, to bring his two drivers together to remind them of the internal engagement rules before the Monaco meeting. For some paddock observers, this first rough contact could be a sign of a more serious conflict and a forthcoming intervention by the team.
Grand Prix commentator on Sky Sports F1 David Croft sees things differently: he considers that Mercedes’ current lead in the constructors’ championship gives the team enough leeway to let its drivers compete.
“Mercedes already has a comfortable lead in the constructors’ championship, he explains. And I think it will increase even more. They don’t need to intervene for now.”
He also recalls that other teams have already gone through similar situations without immediately imposing team orders: “McLaren didn’t need them last year either.”
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Trusting the drivers
For Croft, Mercedes must above all trust the two men it has chosen to lead its sporting project: “These drivers are extremely well paid. You have to trust them. Every employer must trust their employees to do their job since they have precisely entrusted them with this responsibility.”
His advice to Mercedes is therefore simple: “Do nothing for now. Just keep reminding them of the engagement rules, but let them race.”
The history of Formula 1 is full of internal rivalries that ended up costing titles to teams unable to control their drivers. But according to him, intervention should only happen if Russell and Antonelli really start harming the team’s interests: “If one day they eliminate each other or start losing big points for Mercedes, then it will be time to intervene.”
Not yet a new Hamilton-Rosberg duel
However, Croft sees no sign that the situation could quickly degenerate into an open war comparable to that which opposed Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg at Mercedes between 2014 and 2016. According to him, the rivalry remains healthy today despite the intensity of the fight. That does not mean, however, that internal politics will not eventually enter the battle: “We will see what maneuvers and little games may appear in the future,” he warns with a smile.
This remark perfectly sums up the current situation at Mercedes. On one side, Antonelli continues his meteoric rise and seems increasingly to establish himself as the team’s future star. On the other, Russell intends to demonstrate that he remains the natural leader of the structure despite the arrival of the young Italian.
For Formula 1 fans, this duel promises an exciting spectacle. For Toto Wolff and Mercedes, it could quickly become a particularly delicate balancing act. But for now, team orders can stay in the drawer.
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