Formula 1 world championship leader Kimi Antonelli has declared he does not want a repeat of the bitter rivalry between Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg, as he and Mercedes teammate George Russell battle for the 2026 title.
Holding a commanding 43-point lead over Russell and having won four consecutive grands prix, Antonelli firmly put his elbows out last time in Montreal, engaging in several fierce on-track battles with the Briton.
At times, Antonelli’s frustration was evident over team radio as he struggled to find a way past Russell’s leading Mercedes. The situation escalated to the point where team boss Toto Wolff intervened.
“The team wants us to race freely, because they know very well, especially in the position that we are now, you cannot put the leash on us,” Antonelli said while speaking to the media ahead of receiving the Lorenzo Bandini Trophy.
“But they also want to make sure that there’s not an unpleasant situation. If they feel like it, in the next few races, they will tell us to race a bit easier.
“At the moment they’re letting us race free because they trust us as well.”
Mercedes last had teammates locked in a fierce championship battle in 2016, when Rosberg and Hamilton produced several flashpoints in their bitter intra-team feud — including the Spanish Grand Prix, where both drivers eliminated each other on the opening lap.
“We don’t want to recreate a scenery like Lewis [Hamilton] and [Nico] Rosberg, where internally in the team was not the best,” Antonelli said.
“Of course we’re going to race each other hard, but we’ll try to be as fair as possible, avoiding any crashes or contacts because we want the best as well for the team.
“We want Mercedes to win, as well. We’re gonna go at each other, for sure, but in a fair manner.”
Antonelli also reiterated that it remains too early to focus on the championship fight, particularly as he is only in his second season of Formula 1. For now, the 18-year-old’s priority is winning races and avoiding being “eaten” in what he described as F1’s “shark tank.”
“[Racing in F1] it’s like being in a shark tank. You either eat or you’re eaten. You have to be aggressive, obviously in the right dose. In Canada I was aggressive, maybe a little too much. If a similar situation happens again, we’ll have to be more clear-headed.
“But it’s right for me to be aggressive now, because right now I’m racing to win, I’m playing for victories. It’s still early to talk about the championship, but I’m right up there in the standings. It’s one of those opportunities that doesn’t come along every day, so you want to make the most of it.”
Antonelli will chase a fifth consecutive grand prix victory in Monaco this weekend and, in doing so, would extend his record for the most consecutive wins following a maiden Formula 1 victory.
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