Mercedes F1 reserve Frederik Vesti reveals Toto Wolff question to him in Canadian GP, as he expands on a radio channel just for handful of them.

In the latest nu podcast hosted by Anthony Davidson involving Andrew Shovlin and Vesti, revealed a new detail from the Danish reserve driver about how Wolff and Mercedes functions during race F1 weekends. The podcast had Davidson and Shovlin in discussion to begin with.

Vesti joined midway in the session and dropped startling information. The Dane is often spotted on world feed standing beside Wolff, with deputy Bradley Lord is on the other side. In a discussion about radio and communication, Shovlin touched on a special channel of selected people.

Who Features in Special Radio Channel

Vesti affirmed that it is him, Wolff, James Allison (technical director) and Lord. The Dane highlighted how emotional it gets for the Mercedes F1 team boss, especially during fights between teammates Andrea Kimi Antonelli and George Russell – which has happened multiple times this year.

“Well, definitely tense, I think seeing two Mercedes cars battle like that is great for the sport,” said Vesti. “It’s not great for Toto’s and everyone else’s heart rate, I think. [The special radio channel,] it’s very emotional.

“It’s Toto, James (Allison), Bradley (Lord), and me. And we can definitely discuss quite a few things, but from my perspective, Toto has some questions regarding racing, like what, from a driver’s perspective, and that’s where I can add value to,” summed up Vesti.

Vesti Explains Why Wolff Asks his Perspective

Formel 1 – Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team, Großer Preis von Kanada 2026. Kimi Antonelli, George Russell
Formula One – Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team, 2026 Canadian GP. Kimi Antonelli, George Russell

Davidson was surprised that Wolff asks Vesti about a race perspective, considering he is only a reserve driver. But the Dane explained that being a race driver, he understands the situations better from a driver perspective plus he spends a lot of time with Antonelli and Russell in the simulator.

The discussions held there about driver needs and perspective, only Vesti knows. Wolff wants that mindset to be relayed during tense situations, which helps in better decision making. “He does, particularly this year,” Vesti expanded. “Through the simulator, I am learning a great deal about what the drivers are doing and thinking.

“Toto does not necessarily have that perspective, so he occasionally leans on me to help understand the choices they are making. It is nice to be able to contribute in that way,” summed up Vesti. When Davidson put forward his surprise about Wolff involving the Dane, he shared an interesting anecdote from the highly feisty Canadian GP.

Vesti Reveals What Wolff Asked him in Canada

Formel 1 – Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team, Großer Preis von Kanada 2026. Kimi Antonelli, George Russell
Formula One – Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team, 2026 Canadian GP. Kimi Antonelli, George Russell

Both the sprint and main race saw a grueling back and forth between Antonelli and Russell, almost taking Wolff to the 2016 days of Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg. While the battle raged on, Vesti was himself taken aback when Wolff asked him if it will be good to invert the cars.

“I remember back in Canada, he turned to me and was like, “Fred, should we invert the cars?” And I was like, “That’s way above my pay grade!” But it shows, like, he’s very dynamic,” said Vesti. This bit of information has certainly kicked-off a social media storm, where fans think of biasness.

Already a section of fans are theorising that Mercedes are favouring Antonelli against Russell, which is usual inference from F1 fans when things go awry for one driver but is all good for the other. This bit of information from Vesti has only solidified the thought process.