
Kimi Antonelli was left furious following an incident with Mercedes teammate George Russell during the Canadian Grand Prix sprint race.
The Italian was beaten to pole position during a disrupted sprint qualifying session, with Russell edging Antonelli by just 0.068 seconds after a lengthy red-flag stoppage following Fernando Alonso's crash.
There was no love lost between the two teammates during Saturday's sprint race which culminated in an on-track incident that required team principal Toto Wolff to intervene.
Antonelli first attempted an ambitious overtake on the race leader on lap 6 and tried again to squeeze around his teammate before veering off the track and allowing McLaren's Lando Norris to pass him.
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The youngster immediately jumped on the team radio to claim Russell pushed him off the circuit.
He said: "That was very naughty. That should be a penalty, I was alongside the wing mirror."
His race engineer, Peter Bonnington, attempted to keep his mind on the job replying: "So let’s just keep it cool. So let’s just get this back under control Kimi, focus on Norris, focus on the driving"
Antonelli replied: "I don't care he pushed me off."
Wolf also jumped on the team communications to remind Antonelli of his responsibilities saying: "Can we concentrate on the driving, please, and not on the radio moaning?"
THE SCENES!! 🤯
— Formula 1 (@F1) May 23, 2026
Russell and Antonelli fight for the lead once again! 👀#F1Sprint #CanadianGP pic.twitter.com/N12CkUS0RF
Russell was able to hold on for the win with Antonelli unable to regain second position from Norris.
There was a brief handshake between the two drivers at the end of the race before they took their place on the podium.
Sky Sports commentator Martin Brundle said: "I can see more now, watching it frame by frame, why Kimi felt he was entitled to some racing room."
Speaking on the incident post-race, Antonelli claimed he would need to review the footage and maintained he felt it was his corner.
Antonelli said: "It was a tough battle, we were all there in terms of pace, it was not easy. I tried to make my move, I need to review it, I was quite well alongside and got pushed off.
"It it what it is. I made a big mistake on turn eight and compromised by race but it was a good battle."
Russell replied with a smirk: "It's very difficult to get a gap around here. It was a good battle with Kimi. I'm glad we're both standing here after the race."
Topics: Formula 1, George Russell, Mercedes, Motorsport