F1 fans think Toto Wolff has ‘picked his champion’ as Kimi Antonelli radio message goes viral

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As Toto Wolff warned Kimi Antonelli over the radio about his actions during the Canadian Sprint, fans believe the Mercedes chief has picked a side.

As George Russell won the Canadian Sprint, the eyes of the F1 world turned to his teammate, Kimi Antonelli, for what he said on the radio.

Toto Wolff furiously reprimanded Antonelli for his radio message, airing out the frustration he had over Russell’s move against him towards the end of the sprint.

George Russell and Kimi Antonelli’s tussle aided Lando Norris’ drive to P2… Does Toto Wolff need to implement any team orders for Sunday’s Grand Prix?

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Russell and Antonelli had a coming together earlier in the Sprint that forced the young Italian into the grass, a move that clearly upset the championship leader.

But Formula 1 fans believe Wolff shutting Antonelli down after the race is a sign that he has picked a side in the championship battle between his two drivers.

READ MORE: Toto Wolff left unimpressed with Mercedes upgrades despite front-row lockout for Montreal Sprint

Formula 1 fans believe Toto Wolff is backing George Russell over Kimi Antonelli after heated radio exchange

With Toto Wolff angrily telling Kimi Antonelli not to discuss the matter of his exchange with George Russell over the radio, several fans weighed in on the situation.

One fan on X suggested this was a clear sign of the Mercedes CEO’s preference, saying, “Toto has picked his champion, you read it here first.”

Another fan added to this discourse, suggesting, “I have seen this before, Papaya rules until the favourite faced them. Kimi is going to be played the way Piastri was played.”

“Bad of Toto to say. Bono already said this. At this point, Toto was just being annoying,” wrote a third fan who felt Antonelli had not been fairly treated!

A fourth fan simply wrote, “Toto has his favourite,” suggesting the Mercedes boss was favouring George Russell.

“If that had been a driver from another team, Toto would be throwing his rattle out,” said one final fan who believes Wolff intentionally protected Russell.

Toto Wolff says clash between Kimi Antonelli and George Russell can be a learning experience

Speaking to Formula 1’s broadcast team after the sprint, Toto Wolff explained why the situation between Antonelli and Russell was positive, but did express that he wants matters handled internally.

“First of all, I tried also to watch it. We want to see racing and overtaking. For me these moments are super good because there is so much we can learn from this.

“I can take the drivers aside and say, ‘How do we want to handle it in the future? Are we racing each other like it is a third car or another teammate? How are we racing each other differently? Would you give your teammate the space if it was another car fighting for the championship?’

“I think it is up to them to come up with the rules going forward. Drivers have emotions. Obviously, you’re so upset about being pushed off, not having left the space.

“All of the media wants to come up now with Star Wars, and that’s going to be the headline everywhere. Having the message once is okay, a second time I can get, but if you come a third and a fourth time, that’s not good to have that out there.”

Despite initial concerns that Wolff was harder on Russell than Antonelli, his exchange over the radio showed that the young Italian is no longer being treated with kid gloves.

Now that Wolff’s treatment of Antonelli is no longer an issue, the title fight between him and Russell might get even more interesting.