Russell-Antonelli battle will not repeat Hamilton-Rosberg animosity – Toto Wolff

Toto Wolff is confident Mercedes will avoid a repeat of Lewis Hamilton’s toxic rivalry with Nico Rosberg after Kimi Antonelli emerged as a serious threat to team-mate George Russell’s world championship bid.

Teenager Antonelli’s debut victory at Sunday’s Chinese Grand Prix arrived a week after Russell won the season-opening round in Australia. Russell holds a four-point advantage over Antonelli with Mercedes in ominous form.

Hamilton’s relationship with Rosberg boiled over in the three years they fought for the title leading to a fractious atmosphere within Mercedes.

However, team principal Wolff believes the dynamic between Russell, 28, and Antonelli, 19 – both of whom climbed the Mercedes junior ladder – will remain harmonious.

“The relationship between Lewis and Nico was completely different,” said Wolff. “Nico and Lewis knew each other from their early karting days, being friends, but also having this social fight that was always engrained within them. It was a friendship that then became a rivalry, and then animosity.

“They were two different drivers. But having said that, you need to appreciate that drivers are here to win races and championships, and the moment you sniff that, obviously then the elbows come out. That’s something that the team needs to manage.

“But both Kimi and George are Mercedes juniors, and we’ve been responsible for the trajectory since single-seaters. So, I feel at this stage – and maybe I’m going to bite my tongue one day – that we are in a totally different situation.”

Mercedes have hit the ground running this season following a major overhaul of the sport’s regulations.

However the onus on driver management, and gimmicks such as a “boost” button to overtake, has left four-time world champion Max Verstappen with conflicting feelings about his future on the grid.

Verstappen, who retired from sixth place in Shanghai following an engine failure, has described the new regulations as a “joke” and warned they could ruin Formula One.

It is understood F1 bosses will stage meetings with the grid’s 11 teams in the coming weeks to assess potential changes to the rules.

The next round will take place in Japan a week on Sunday before a five-week gap to Miami following the cancellation of the races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.

Wolff, a keen admirer of Verstappen, said: “Max is really in a horror show. When you look at the onboard that he had in qualifying, the car is just horrendous to drive.

“From an entertainment perspective, I believe that what we saw between Ferrari and Mercedes was good racing, many overtakes, and we were all part of Formula One where there was no overtaking. Sometimes we are too nostalgic about the good old years.

“But I’m sure, for someone like Max, who’s a full-attack guy, it is difficult to cope and digest. However, it’s more a car-specific issue that kind of magnifies the problem.

“Because if you sit in front of the TV or in front of a screen, even Max would say, that was interesting racing, and the product is good in itself.”