Wolff addresses Antonelli's radio messages demanding a penalty for Russell

At the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, both Mercedes drivers were engaged in wheel-to-wheel combat, with Antonelli repeatedly attempting to challenge Russell for position. The first close call came at Turn 1 on lap six of the Sprint, when Antonelli was forced to take the escape route to avoid a collision with his teammate.

Just seven corners later, the pair found themselves in another tense situation, with Antonelli again attempting an overtake. After hitting a bump, he ran wide to avoid contact, further adding to the intensity of their duel. Frustrated over team radio, Antonelli argued that he had been forced off track by Russell and suggested his teammate should be penalised. His race engineer, Pete Bonnington, attempted to calm the 19-year-old, but the situation ultimately required intervention from Wolff himself to defuse tensions during the race.

Speaking to GPblog, Wolff acknowledged that there is still room for improvement in how such situations are handled over team radio, while also noting that drivers are naturally emotional in the heat of battle.

“No, I don't think so. You know, obviously, when you listen to some of the radio comms, I think there's room for improvement. But in terms of wearing your heart on your sleeve, that’s fine, but how can I say, concentrating on the driving is important,” Wolff noted.

The Austrian motorsport chief, however, noted that Antonelli’s messages were something the team can resolve internally.

“But other than that, I think they behave like race drivers that race for a championship. So I wouldn’t be able to see a fault in that. That’s something we can clear internally. That’s something we can clear internally. But I don’t appreciate it so much. If that’s the right word, elaborating on emotions on the radio,” he concluded.

Earlier, former F1 driver and Sky Sports commentator Martin Brundle admitted to finding it particularly “interesting” that Mercedes team principal Wolff stepped in personally to calm tensions between Russell and Antonelli following their battle during the Canadian GP Sprint Race.

The Sprint Race in Montreal delivered plenty of action at the front, as the two Mercedes drivers put on a thrilling show with a pair of fierce battles, first into Turn 1, then again at Turn 8, with Russell managing to hold his ground on both occasions before eventually taking the chequered flag in first place.

Reflecting on Wolff’s radio intervention, Brundle noted that it was particularly interesting to see the Mercedes team principal step in personally to put an end to the situation, adding that, after reviewing the incident frame by frame, he could understand why Antonelli felt he should have been given more room during the fight: “It is interesting the headmaster 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.”

The former F1 driver also suggested Mercedes had realised the Italian was beginning to lose composure in the heat of the moment, pointing out that Antonelli is still a teenager carrying enormous pressure as a rising star, with emotions briefly getting the better of him.

At the Canadian Grand Prix Sprint, Russell got the better of Antonelli, winning the shootout ahead of Lando Norris, with Antonelli in third place. However, at the main race, the British driver suffered a power unit failure, which cost him valuable championship points, while Antonelli went on to win the race ahead of Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen.