Toto Wolff told what he 'can't' do in high-stakes Mercedes fight

Eddie Irvine believes George Russell and Kimi Antonelli will come to blows in an intra-Mercedes F1 title battle, arguing "the stakes are too high" for it not to.

The four-time grand prix winner also does not think team principal Toto Wolff can step in and implement team orders, having been through such difficulties with Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg.

Antonelli has emerged from his more experienced team-mate's shadow early in the current season. And although he is not yet a match for the British driver over one lap, he does lead the F1 drivers' standings by nine points, three rounds into the campaign.

With two victories to his name, the 19-year-old is being regarded as a championship contender — something Irvine agrees with — despite Wolff trying to play down the narrative.

"I first heard about him from Luca Baldisserri, who was my race engineer at Ferrari," the Irishman told La Gazzetta dello Sport.

"He described him to me as an extraordinary talent after seeing him in the junior series. And I must admit he was right.

"It had been a long time since Italy had a driver of this calibre. Kimi is a genuine title contender, but it's still too early to predict how the season will end."

So far, Antonelli and Russell have maintained a strong relationship with the latter comfortably leading the team. But as the dynamic gradually shifts, Irvine expects to see the pair clash.

Title battles have often led to incidents in the past, and when asked if he feels history will repeat itself with the Mercedes drivers, the 60-year-old drew upon other recent examples.

"I'm absolutely certain of it," the former Jordan, Ferrari and Jaguar driver replied.

"The stakes are too high, and the drivers are performing at a similar level. So Toto Wolff can't step in with team orders.

"He's already experienced very tense situations, when Lewis Hamilton was battling with Nico Rosberg and then with Max Verstappen.

"On that latter occasion, there was a nasty crash at Silverstone. I think the seven-time world champion, who is one of the cleanest drivers in history, was frustrated because the Dutchman was behaving like a bully."