Mercedes takes F1 sprint and qualifying in Canada though it all very nearly came undone as tensions rise
Mercedes' dominance over the Formula 1 season has continued, with George Russell taking both the sprint race and qualifying on pole for the grand prix in Canada.
The British driver left the latter until the final second, narrowly pipping teammate Kimi Antonelli by just over half a second with the final lap of qualifying, in what was an eventful day for the pair.
It cost Antonelli what would have been a fourth straight pole, as he looks to build on his lead in the drivers' championship.
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George Russell (right) goes wheel to wheel with teammate Kimi Antonelli. PA Images via Getty Images
And the teammates went at it in the sprint as well, going wheel-to-wheel as Russell forced Antonelli into the grass to take the lead and the eventual victory.
The 19-year-old then locked up attempting to grab the lead back later on the very same lap, frustrating Antonelli.
"I need to check it as well," Russell told reporters afterwards.
"From my side, I didn't think I did anything wrong and it wasn't investigated. I guess race directors and stewards thought the same."
On Antonelli's lock-up attempting to get past him again: "You never get overtaken around the outside of that corner. Kudos to Kimi for giving it a go … I respect that."
"You race each other hard, but fair, and from my side, there's never ill intentions towards anything. But on the same note, I'm not just going to wave somebody by. And we're both fighting for our championship."
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff described it as "tough fighting" and that he "thoroughly enjoyed watching it".
"If you fight a bit, you can lose a race. If that goes a bit longer in a race, Norris may well win," the team principal said.
"I really enjoy these moments as they allow us to learn and say, 'how are we handling these things in the future?'
"You don't want to lose a race, you don't want to crash into each other and sometimes it needs a little moment to remind us of our objectives.
"This is not particularly against one or the other but there is a framework we want to establish and I would rather have it in a Sprint race."
Antonelli voiced his frustration after the incident mid-race repeatedly on the team radio, which Wolff called out in the moment, responding "concentrate on the driving, not the radio moaning".
The two Mercedes drivers already have a comfortable lead on the pack in that regard, both sitting over 20 points clear of Ferrari's Charles Leclerc in third.
Mercedes driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli goes offroad to avoid contact with teammate George Russell. PA Images via Getty Images
They both added to that dominance in the Canadian sprint race earlier on Sunday, with Russell taking it by over a second from McLaren's Lando Norris.
Aussie Oscar Piastri finished fourth and sits sixth in the standings, despite his early-season struggles.
Norris and Piastri will start the Canadian Grand Prix third and fourth respectively, as the Mercedes front row into the McLaren second row trend continues.
Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton sits fifth, but had car issues that prevented him going for another lap at the very end of Q3.
Max Verstappen was clearly frustrated with his P6 effort, overheard calling his Red Bull car "impossible".
The Canadian Grand Prix gets under way at 6am AEST on Monday.
Russell noted after qualifying that he expects both Mercedes cars to be at it again on Monday, though the plan remains to leave Canada with first and second respectively.
