Antonelli: 'Mercedes knows, they can't put a leash on us with Russell'

The current Formula 1 championship leader did not switch off from motorsport despite not competing this weekend. He received the prestigious Trofeo Bandini award in Italy and also waved the chequered flag at the MotoGP race in Mugello.

Speaking at the event, the Italian also addressed his hard-fought battle with George Russell during the Canadian Grand Prix. The two Mercedes teammates first made contact at Turn 1 during Saturday's Sprint, after which he demanded a penalty for the Briton over the team radio. Mercedes CEO and team principal Toto Wolff then sent a message to the youngster over the radio, telling him to focus on the race. On Sunday, the two championship rivals made contact once again.

At the media conference ahead of receiving his award, he said that the German team wants to let its drivers compete freely against each other, as it trusts them to race fairly. "They know very well, especially in the position that we are now, you cannot put the leash on us. 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."

The Mercedes squad has experienced a tough teammate battle in the past, when Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg went head-to-head to achieve the biggest prize. Antonelli highlighted that he wants to avoid a similar situation.

The Italian also addressed his approach of putting his elbows out. He added: "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," he concluded.

Entering the Monaco Grand Prix, the Italian talent has a considerable gap in the drivers' standings ahead of his experienced teammate. He currently leads Russell by 43 points after his fourth victory in a row in Montreal.

Hamilton and Max Verstappen finished on the podium at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve behind Kimi Antonelli. Both drivers were complimentary about the Mercedes driver.

The Ferrari driver said: "He’s already doing a great job. I’m not going to give him any more pointers! I mean, I think just for me personally, 2007 was the one I was fighting for. It was a lot. I was a little bit older than you, I was 22. I think things were different back then. It feels like it was just different back then. I don’t think I had the same support system that he has, for example, today in a place that I worked at and worked in. Toto did a great job of surrounding you with the right support, and I definitely didn’t feel that. The team were nice and everything but there wasn’t the right elements around to support you, to help you stay stable and guide you. And it was pretty intense, especially in my first year. But I wouldn’t change it for the world."

Verstappen then added: "I mean, he’s clearly doing a great job. And of course a championship is long and they’re won by just being consistent, not making mistakes. But he knows that, so every weekend you just need to try and maximize, try and be better than your teammate, and then I’m sure that he has a good chance. But long way to go. But what he’s doing right now is working really well."