George Russell has said he will have a conversation with Kimi Antonelli after the Mercedes drivers almost came to blows during the sprint at the Canadian Grand Prix.
The team-mates were fighting for the lead in Montreal when the latter attempted an overtaking move on the former around the outside of the first corner.
The 19-year-old was pushed wide by the Briton, and reacted angrily to what he believed was a “naughty” manoeuvre after jumping across the grass towards Turn 2.
Russell retained the lead and went on to claim victory, whilst Antonelli, in his rage, made a mistake and dropped behind Lando Norris into third, where he finished.
It saw his lead in the F1 drivers’ championship cut to 18 points, and despite the Italian’s calls for a penalty for Russell, the six-time grand prix winner was confident he did nothing wrong.
“When you’ve got one corner leading into the next, it’s very easy for the outside driver to break late, much later than you would do ordinarily, but the inside driver is only going one direction,” he told Sky Sports F1.
“I was just taking my normal line into Turn 2, and that’s all I’ve said already.”
When asked whether on-track etiquette between them had been discussed, Russell revealed he would like to have a discussion with Antonelli, whilst further underlining his case for not being at fault.
“It’s always been discussed in the years gone by; you race each other hard but fair, and from my side, there’s never ill intentions towards anything,” he replied.
“But on the same note, I’m not just going to wave somebody by, and we’re both fighting for our championship, but it’s always the team first, and we’ll both talk about it after, for sure.
“But for me, I’ve got the peace of mind that it wasn’t investigated, and if the FIA think it was fine, then that’s enough.”
That, however, is not his immediate concern ahead of qualifying at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, where he will be vying for a third consecutive pole position, at a venue he has long excelled at.
“I’ve got to be honest, I’m focused on trying to get pole position, so, you know, we need to have the chat,” the 28-year-old added.
“It is inevitable that if you’ve got two cars qualifying 1-2 most weeks, you’re going to have some close racing, but we do respect one another; it isn’t the intention to ever collide, and the fact that we’re both here standing, and finished 1-3, could have been 1-2, I don’t think it’s a big deal.”
Do you think George Russell deserved a penalty for the sprint clash with Kimi Antonelli? Let us know by voting in the latest poll by ApexF1News!
