Tensions flare between Mercedes teammates; Piastri starts fourth

After weeks of fairly cordial interactions, tensions started to simmer between Mercedes pair George Russell and Kimi Antonelli.

During the sprint race, Antonelli put Russell under pressure on lap six, sweeping round the outside, only for the pair to make contact as the Italian was forced across the grass.

“That was very naughty. Not fair, he pushed me off,” Antonelli fumed over the radio, adding: “That should be a penalty, I was alongside the mirror.”

Wolff intervened to tell Antonelli to “concentrate on the racing please and not the radio moaning”.

“If we need to race like this, that’s good to know,” Antonelli muttered on the radio, with Wolff responding: “Kimi, now is not the time to talk about this. We talk about this internally and not on the radio, OK.”