Mercedes to take action after seeing what George Russell and Kimi Antonelli did in Barcelona

In the same way that McLaren faced a season-long internal fight between Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri last season, adding an unsavoury in-house rivalry as the Driver's Championship came to its boiling point, Mercedes is faced with a huge decision.

So far, teenage sensation Kimi Antonelli has led the way in the Formula 1 standings, opening up a huge points lead over second-place Lewis Hamilton and teammate George Russell.

Russell, the more experienced of the Mercedes pair, has been riddled with engine issues so far, falling far behind his starboy teammate and putting himself in a 'trouble town'.

The two drivers have resorted to playing mind games in a bid to get pole position in the Mercedes garage, even going as far as blanking each other in the media room.

Now, as Russell gained points back on Antonelli due to his untimely retirement in the Barcelona Grand Prix, Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has revealed it's time for him to make up his mind as to which driver he is championing this year.

Toto Wolff To End 'Costly' Mercedes Team Battle

On paper, the Barcelona Grand Prix was a step in the right direction for Russell, who jumped on another podium in an all-British lineup.

But the Mercedes driver had the engine gods to thank after Antonelli blew out of the race just a handful of laps after overtaking Russell.

If not for the DNF from Antonelli, it looked like Russell would have lost even more ground to the young Italian.

Speaking after the race, Wolff claimed that it was the internal battle that lost them the race, hinting at which driver needs to be put first.

"Today we tried to race fair in the team game, but maybe it cost us the win today. That’s something which we need to discuss with the drivers," he told Sky Sports.

"They raced each other quite hard before George’s stop, and I think we lost about four, five, or six seconds to Lewis. Then obviously, the VSC changed the order.

“It’s just George and Kimi racing hard. We’re leaving lap time on the track, and we need to discuss with them for the future.”

Having been in the Mercedes paddock for five seasons, completing his promotion through the team's academy system, Russell will likely feel entitled to be the lead driver.

But Antonelli continues to smash records and sits 50 points ahead of his teammate.

Knowing just how strong Lewis Hamilton is when it comes to lengthy chases throughout the entire season, Wolff could turn to Russell for his experience, or stoke favour in the new anomaly on the track, in the hope that Antonelli has the steel to stay focused when the inevitable seven-time champion ramps up the pressure.

Wolff had previously sat on the fence when it came to the two Mercedes drivers, telling the pair to 'concentrate on the driving, please,' as they clashed in Canada in May.

What is for sure is that the winner here is Lewis Hamilton, who has surely won his own in-house battle at Ferrari over Charles Leclerc.

Hamilton sent some chilling words to his F1 rivals ahead of Barcelona, and capitalised on that with his first win in the Rosso red colours to turn the screws in the championship table.