Russell on Sprint Collision with Antonelli: I Wasn’t Investigated

George Russell says the stewards’ decision not to investigate his sprint-race clash with team-mate Andrea Kimi Antonelli confirms he did nothing wrong.

Andrea Kimi Antonelli had argued Russell should be penalised after the pair made contact at turn one, with Antonelli saying he was entitled to racing room. Russell had squeezed his team-mate onto the outside as they entered the corner, sparking debate among drivers and fans.

Despite several other incidents in the race being reviewed and penalised, the clash between the two Mercedes drivers was not investigated. Russell took that as confirmation of his view.

“I didn’t think I did anything wrong and I wasn’t investigated, so I guess the race director and stewards thought the same,” he said. “But I need to check it.”

Russell added that racing hard and fairly with team-mates, and avoiding contact, is always the goal. “I wasn’t racing Kimi any harder than I would have raced Lando [Norris] in the same position,” he said. “We’re both here fighting to win and always in the past, even last year when we battled, I always gave Kimi a bit more room compared to anyone else. So, as I said, I need to review it. There was nothing untoward with the driving and, as I said, I don’t think it was even investigated. I think that says enough.”

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff twice told Antonelli over the radio to stop complaining about the incident, and the three of them discussed the matter after the race.

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Antonelli later said the discussion had resolved the issue. “We had a discussion and we clarified and now it’s all good,” he said after qualifying. “So we’ve reviewed and we had a chat with Toto and it’s all good now.”

Russell echoed that sentiment, stressing the mutual respect between them. “We know what we need to do and how we’re going to race each other,” he said. “And nothing’s going to change because we’ve always had that respect for one another. We’re not going to wave anybody by, it doesn’t matter if he’s a competitor or a team mate. Of course, we know the number one rule is never to crash with your team mate. That isn’t what happened this morning and we finished first and third and that’s what we’ll continue to try and do.”

Penalty box

Antonelli maintained he was entitled to room when attempting the outside pass because he had drawn sufficiently alongside Russell before the corner. F1’s racing guidelines set out the conditions that determine when an overtaking driver is owed space on the outside: the attacking car must have its front axle ahead of the other car’s front axle at the apex, be driven in a controlled manner from entry through apex to exit, and be able to make the corner within track limits.

With the stewards deciding not to intervene, opinions remain divided among fans and pundits. The incident raises familiar questions about how tightly racing room and overlap are judged in close battles, especially between team-mates.

Below the article, readers were invited to vote on whether the stewards should have issued a penalty for the Russell–Antonelli incident. The poll showed a majority leaning towards no penalty for either driver, with other responses split between light or strong penalties for one side or the other.

A RaceFans account is required to vote. When the poll closes, results will be displayed in place of the voting form.

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2026 Canadian Grand Prix

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