The shape of this season opener anticipated the perfect scenario for, sooner rather than later, a fire to break out like the one Mercedes had to extinguish this Saturday in Canada, where their two drivers, Kimi Antonelli and George Russell, showed their claws and got into scratches in the sprint. The bold overtaking maneuver attempted by the Italian on his teammate cost the Bolognese the second place in favor of Lando Norris, who took advantage of the friendly fire that broke out within the star brand. The incident also served to reveal an unknown side of Antonelli, who lost his temper to the point of asking, over the radio, for a penalty for his workshop neighbor. “This is very dirty. This should be penalized. He was already at the level of his rearview mirror,” said the championship leader, referring to the defense Russell made, which no one, neither the Montreal stewards nor the Mercedes bosses, saw as out of place. “Let’s keep this under control. Let’s focus on Norris,” tried to calm him Peter Bonnington, Bono, his race engineer. “I don’t care! He pushed me out,” insisted Antonelli, loudly angry, so much so that it led Toto Wolff, the director, to intervene: “Kimi, focus on driving, please, not whining on the radio.”
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Far from getting overwhelmed, the incident in the short race gave way to the most voracious version of Antonelli, who in episodes like the one at the Gilles Villeneuve circuit makes it clear that he is no kid. The youngster channeled his rage in the best possible way to dominate most of the timed session, although not the important section, the last one (Q3), in which Russell snatched a pole that seemed lost. “It’s the most exciting thing in the world when it comes at the last moment and from who knows where,” said the Norfolk driver, who this Sunday (22:00, Dazn) will start without traffic ahead, for the second time this season. Next to him will be Antonelli, who promises a battle to defend his World Championship lead and return the favor. Both start as favorites to fight for the win after signing the fourth double front row in five possible, in another demonstration of the German manufacturer’s power, whose biggest headache will be managing the mood of its two boys. Carlos Sainz will start 15th, in a weekend that seems to hint at a slight improvement for Williams, while Fernando Alonso will start 19th aboard an Aston Martin that is still nowhere near ready.
“We talked this morning. We are drivers, we know what to do and we respect each other,” reflected Russell, who unexpectedly found the method to extract all the possible potential from a car better prepared for the conditions expected in the race, rain and cold, than for the timed session. The two warm-up laps were key for the pole sitter to emerge from who knows where.
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Sunday is expected to be eventful, given the little information gathered about the behavior of these new cars in wet conditions, and the skirmish that could be repeated between the two Silver Arrows. “As a team, we have to be very clear about what kind of championship we want. We have let George and Kimi speak, and we have asked them what they preferred. They have chosen that they want to race freely,” Wolff adds, who, however, warns: “Everything will change if they touch.”
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