Can Mercedes avoid Antonelli vs Russell civil war?
The Race F1 Podcast
The Race Media Ltd
4.5 • 1K Ratings
🗓️ 1 June 2026
⏱️ 67 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
We ask what Toto Wolff’s version of ‘papaya rules’ should look like as he bids to keep battling Mercedes team-mates George Russel and Kimi Antonelli in line in the latest episode of The Race F1 Podcast.
Nelson Valkenburg and Scott Mitchell-Malm join Edd Straw to discuss the way the battle could and should be managed on track, and the risks of trying to keep too tight a leash on Antonelli and Russell.
We also take listener questions on Ferrari communications, Valtteri Bottas’s struggles, the driving style flexibility of the 2026 car and the chances of the field closing up at the front.
There’s also a look at the troubled form of Esteban Ocon and Alex Albon, McLaren’s strategy malaise and the focus of rule changes.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | The Athletic |
| 0:02.7 | The Races |
| 0:02.7 | The race is on, and with the intra-Messides battle ramping up with every passing race, |
| 0:16.8 | is it at risk of getting tangled up in its version of papyrrules? |
| 0:19.9 | And how should Toto Wolf handle a Kimmy Antonelli versus George Russell title fights? |
| 0:24.1 | I'm Ed Sture and joined me to talk team orders and more. |
| 0:26.7 | I'm Nelson Valkenberg and Scott Mitchell Mowne. |
| 0:31.1 | Well, Nelson, we'll get straight into it with you first. |
| 0:34.1 | This topic's inspired by a comment from the race members club from Kid Coltrane who said, |
| 0:38.7 | I want to know how many papaya rules the Mercedes drivers broke in Canada. So if we run with |
| 0:43.7 | that theme, how big a headache do you think Toto Wolf has got in terms of keeping Kimmy |
| 0:48.5 | Antonelli and George Russell under control as they fight it out? Well, first, let's say I think |
| 0:53.9 | they broke all of the papaya rules over a course of two days. |
| 0:59.0 | How much of a headache? |
| 1:02.0 | Maybe it's not a headache if you just let it happen. |
| 1:06.4 | We learned a lot about Kimmy Antonelier in the last weekend about what he's really like. |
| 1:12.0 | Last year was very careful not to make mistakes. |
| 1:14.9 | And for him to already be completely the opposite and go at it, |
| 1:18.7 | tells you a lot about the character of him. |
| 1:21.1 | And I think Toto will recognize that he may not be able to manage this |
| 1:25.4 | in the way McLaren tried to manage it last year because there's a |
| 1:29.6 | danger to managing and overmanaging a situation like this. I think you have one rule, don't take |
... |
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