Toto Wolff hopes that the Russell-Antonelli duel will not equal the Hamilton-Rosberg duel

Mercedes won the first two F1 races of the year and aims to dominate the season as in the times of the seven-time champion and the German. Will history repeat itself?

The start of Formula 1’s hybrid era in 2014 marked the beginning of Mercedes-Benz’s era of dominance. The duo Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg fought for victories and titles for three seasons, taking the duel to critical moments, which peaked at the 2016 Spanish GP, when both touched at the start and the two Silver Arrows were left stranded in the second corner of the Montmeló circuit. That day Max Verstappen would achieve his first victory in the World Championship. The German would win the crown in 2016 and would announce his retirement from motorsports after confessing that he had given everything and that even his family had suffered the effort to achieve that conquest. Psychologically he was devastated after the battle with Hamilton. Ten years later, the World Cup changed the technical regulations and at the start of the new era of power units, the German team is once again in the lead and everything seems to indicate that The championship will have its drivers, Kimi Antonelli and George Russell, as great contenders.

The Englishman won the first round of the year in Australia and won the sprint at the Chinese GP. Meanwhile, the 19-year-old Italian took pole position and signed his first victory in the long race in Shanghai. Only four points separate the Arrows duo, with Russell leading the way (51 to 47). Toto Wolff, team director, wants to avoid any similarity with those experienced during Hamilton-Rosberg’s time from being repeated.

“The relationship between Lewis and Nico was completely different,” the Austrian priest said in China. “Nico and Lewis knew each other from their beginnings in karting, they were friends, but they also had that social rivalry that was always between them. It was a friendship that later turned into rivalry and, finally, hostility. They were two different pilots. That said, you have to keep in mind that racers are here to win races and championships, and as soon as that possibility is perceived, tensions obviously arise. It is something that the team must manage,” he added.

Wolff spoke about the relationship between Antonelli and Russell to mark distances from that almost fratricidal duel from a decade ago. “When fighting to win the championship, it is totally normal that there may be some aggression between teammates and it is common for the team to manage this possible situation. But Both Kimi and George came from the Mercedes program and we were responsible for their careers. Right now I feel like we are in a totally different situation. Although maybe one day I will have to shut up,” Toto closed.