As George Russell and Max Verstappen line up on the front row of the Canadian GP grid, Toto Wolff has quipped that if they take each other out, Mercedes could still win with Kimi Antonelli.

Russell and Verstappen set up a juicy encounter as the Spanish Grand Prix protagonists locked out the front row of the grid at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.

Toto Wolff: Maybe they will drive into each other…

Russell will start on pole position with Verstappen P2, with all eyes on the reigning World Champion as he takes to the track with the threat of a race ban hanging over his head.

Verstappen is just one point away from an automatic race ban after he was slapped with three points for crashing into Russell at the previous race in Spain.

The Spanish Grand Prix stewards declared the late-race crash was ‘undoubtedly caused’ by Verstappen, while Russell labelled it “deliberate”. Verstappen was initially defiant, before conceding in the cold light of Monday morning that his move was “not right”.

But as the price of the collision and the punishments were laid it, it’s Verstappen who came off second best as he dropped to tenth in the official classification for the Spanish race and has to toe the line for the next two races or risk being banned for a race.

Russell doesn’t believe the reigning World Champion will keep his elbows in at the start. If anything, he could get them out to prove a point.

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“I don’t think any driver goes out looking to crash into somebody and get penalty points on your licence,” said the pole-sitter. “Max is one of the best drivers. There’s no reason for him to race any differently.

“I’m not sitting here thinking he’s going to give us more room. If anything, probably the opposite to try and prove a point.

“So I’ll be keeping an eye, but ultimately, we’re all here to win. You’re not going to do something that’s going to jeopardise yourself from the race.

“It’s a busy season as well. If you get a race ban, you get a race ban and spend some time at home. It’s not ideal, but it’s not the end of the world.”

From his side, Verstappen is just over the topic.

“I don’t need to hear it again,” he said. “It is really p****** me off. You speaking about it on Thursday, it is such a waste of time. It is very childish.

“I don’t want to say too much because it is really annoying this world that we live in.”

However, should the situation implode, Mercedes have an ace up their sleeve – Kimi Antonelli.

The Italian qualified in fourth place behind Oscar Piastri, his best grid slot in four races.

Wolff says if things do go wrong between Russell and Verstappen, Antonelli could pick up the pieces with a maiden Grand Prix win.

“Maybe they will drive into each other, and in the end Kimi wins,” he said as per Sky Deutschland.

The Mercedes team principal was happy with his team’s performance in qualifying.

“It was good. And it’s encouraging because here it’s windy and it’s cold but on the track it’s really hot. The track temperature was hot and we still managed it,” he said.

“We were so competitive in the free practice sessions that we were almost a bit surprised that at the beginning of qualifying it wasn’t coming easy. And then on the last two runs, also on the soft, the time just kept coming.

“And on the medium, you could see, I guess as a driver, you almost come into this buzz within yourself. The delta time was going quicker and quicker and quicker and quicker and so it was a mega lap.”

Mercedes line up on the Canadian GP grid looking to regain second place in the Constructors’ Championship having fallen six points behind Ferrari. They trail runaway championship leaders McLaren by 203 points.

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