Martin Brundle delivers verdict on tense George Russell and Kimi Antonelli Canadian GP sprint battle

Sky Sports Formula 1 analyst Martin Brundle has explained why he wouldn’t give George Russell a penalty after the dramatic Mercedes intra-team battle during the Canadian Grand Prix sprint race.

Russell secured a hard-fought victory in the Montreal sprint, but the main talking point after the race was his tense battle with his team-mate Kimi Antonelli.

The Italian driver was left fuming on the team radio after he attempted an overtake on Russell on lap six in an ambitious move around the outside of Turn 1. As the pair went round the corner, Russell struck the inside kerb, causing his car to bounce wide and squeeze Antonelli.

The moment saw Antonelli go off the circuit and across the grass, which resulted in McLaren’s Lando Norris taking second position.

Antonelli maintained after the race that he was pushed off, arguing, “I tried to make my move, but I need to review that because I was well alongside and got pushed off. It is what it is.”

The 19-year-old was warned multiple times by the Brackley outfit to save his complaints for a private conversation. “Kimi, concentrate on the driving, please, not on the radio moaning,” team chief Toto Wolff told Antonelli.

After taking the chequered flag, Antonelli fumed once again: “If we need to race like this, that’s good to know!”

“Kimi now is not the time to talk about this. We talk about this internally and not on the radio, OK?” Wolff responded.

Martin Brundle

Photo by: Getty Images

Brundle analysed Wolff’s place in this. “It is interesting the headmaster [Toto Wolff] has had to step in there and say ‘stop this’.

“Watching frame-by-frame, I can now see why Antonelli felt he was entitled to more racing room.”

After watching replays of the moment, Brundle shared his analysis on Sky Sports F1: “You can see that George Russell’s car hits the inside kerb and bounces to the right-hand side.

“The problem with writing regulations is that it is difficult to cover everything on different tracks. Something that was added this year is that the driver on the inside can’t just disappear or suddenly change by 30 or 40 degrees.

“I think if you stick your car to the outside like that, you have to expect to be squeezed. That is the racing view. I wouldn’t give George Russell a penalty.”

Photos from Canadian GP – Saturday