Andrea Kimi Antonelli rued missing out on a “cool battle” with Mercedes teammate George Russell after the Brit’s retirement handed him an easy victory in the Formula 1 Canadian Grand Prix.
Antonelli was in the midst of what promised to be a ferocious battle for P1 with Russell, the pair jostling for the lead for the first half of the race at the Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve.
It was a continuation of their fractious tussle the day before during the Sprint, which saw Antonelli lose his cool with what he deemed Russell’s “naughty” attempts to keep him behind, leading him to make a mistake and lose second place to Lando Norris.
With Team Principal Toto Wolff’s warning to keep it clean no doubt ringing in their ears, the Grand Prix itself saw a cleaner but equally edgy battle, the Silver Arrows duo trading the lead several times.
But when a battery issue brought Russell’s race to a halt, Antonelli was left alone to complete a fourth straight victory, increasing his lead in the Drivers’ Championship and his advantage on Russell to 45 points.
For Antonelli, it was no doubt a brilliant way to bring an initially tricky weekend to a conclusion, but after the race, he showed regret at being denied the chance to earn it by racing Russell to the end.
“It was a fun battle with George. We were very much on the limit and it was not easy with the wind,” he said. “Very gusty. Turn 10 [where both men frequently locked up amid their battle] was very difficult.
“It was very close, and it was a shame for him with the failure, as it would have been a very cool battle. But we will take it. Another win.”
Antonelli now faces a stern test in the form of Monaco, with Russell ideally looking for a way back into the fight around the notoriously tricky principality street track.
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