Mercedes F1 team address Rosberg vs Hamilton 2.0 concerns at Barcelona Grand Prix

Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg in 2016 in Abu Dhabi — Photo: © IMAGO

Mercedes

Mercedes address Rosberg vs Hamilton 2.0 concerns at Barcelona Grand Prix

George Russell and Kimi Antonelli are fighting for the title at Mercedes

Sam Cook Digital Journalist

Sports Journalist who has been covering motorsport since 2023

Friday 12 June 2026 09:57

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Mercedes F1 boss Toto Wolff has responded to concerns that George Russell and Kimi Antonelli could cause a repeat of Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg at this weekend's Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix.

10 years ago, Mercedes team-mates Hamilton and Rosberg headed into the 2016 race around the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya in the midst of a battle for the drivers' championship, but their own ambitions got in the way of the team result.

On lap one, the two drivers collided, ending their participation in the race and allowing Max Verstappen to take home his maiden grand prix victory. Wolff recently revealed that he was so angry with the pair, that he temporarily sacked both drivers.

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10 years later and Russell and Antonelli are the two Mercedes drivers fighting for the title, although Antonelli is 68 points ahead of the Brit heading into this weekend's race at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.

The Canadian Grand Prix last month was the first time we'd really seen Antonelli and Russell battling it out wheel-to-wheel, and they were arguably close to the line in terms of what is acceptable between team-mates.

But Wolff and Mercedes have always been willing to let their drivers fight between themselves, as we of course saw with Hamilton and Rosberg.

Will Russell v Antonelli end in tears for Mercedes?

Wolff was asked during the Sky Sports F1 live broadcast whether he was worried about his drivers repeating Hamilton and Rosberg's mistakes in Barcelona, following their battles in Canada.

"No, I like it," Wolff said. "I think we are having a different breed of drivers now, also different generation.

"Maybe that has come through the whole system you know Nico and Lewis were superstars when they joined the team already and George and Kimi were junior drivers.

"They understand the concept and as much as we want them to be real killers, which they are, they also are part of the wider understanding the mindset of the team."

The parallels with 10 years ago are clear for all to see, but Wolff will be desperately hoping that this weekend's Barcelona GP does not yield the same result.

F1 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes George Russell Toto Wolff Kimi Antonelli