Mercedes F1 News: George Russell and Kimi Antonelli given ‘shut the f*** up’ team radio warning

Toto Wolff, Kimi Antonelli and George Russell of Mercedes cast glum looks — Photo: © IMAGO

Mercedes F1

F1 rivals George Russell and Kimi Antonelli given ‘shut the f*** up’ Mercedes warning

Kimi Antonelli was told to stop moaning on team radio

Sam Cook Digital Journalist

Sports Journalist who has been covering motorsport since 2023

Sunday 31 May 2026 12:54 Updated: 13:03

Mercedes' F1 drivers have been handed some brutal advice about their team radio etiquette.

George Russell and Kimi Antonelli are currently embroiled in a drivers' championship battle, with their Mercedes team the dominant outfit on the 2026 grid.

For the first time this season, the pair fought for the lead in both races at last weekend's Canadian Grand Prix, with Russell getting the better of the young Italian in the sprint race, before having to retire from the main race with a battery issue.

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But in the early stages of that race, they fought each other hard, and arguably pushed the limit of what is acceptable, particularly between team-mates.

Both drivers were vocal on team radio throughout the weekend, with Antonelli claiming Russell should have to give him a position back after feeling like he'd been pushed off track, while in the sprint race, Toto Wolff had to speak to the teenager twice, telling him to 'stop moaning'.

Now, former racer Naomi Schiff has reiterated Wolff's comments in her own way, warning the drivers that when a team boss tells you to do something, you 'shut the f*** up'.

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Schiff's advice to Mercedes' drivers

Schiff told the Up to Speed podcast that Russell and Antonelli would do well to remember throughout the rest of their intra-team battle who's in charge, saying: “Toto had to come on twice, which is like, once the boss comes calling on the radio, you shut the f*** up,” prompting laughter from her co-hosts after giving the hilariously blunt take.

The former driver turned pundit then gave her thoughts on why it can be good to see emotion from championship rivals however, adding: “You can just tell that there's a lot of passion, right? Firstly, obviously Kimi’s new-ish to F1 and so he's got a long career ahead of him. George has been waiting for this moment for an extremely long time and when you're competing against your team-mate with equal equipment, it's that much harder to create that gap.

“And if Kimi happens to end up being extremely consistent for the remaining races and they don't have reliability issues, trying to close a gap of 43 points is a task. And yes, it can very easily swing again if he has a DNF or if there's a big moment, but if things go okay, 43 points is a tough haul to catch up. So, George's emotions in that moment are understandable.”

F1 Mercedes George Russell Kimi Antonelli Naomi Schiff