Russell is on top again

Russell: “Antonelli was the unlucky one this time, I was very impressed with Verstappen’s pace”

Russell is on top again

George Russell ended his nearly four-month win drought. The Mercedes pilot, who has not been able to reach the top step of the podium since March 8, completed an impressive weekend with victory. The British driver, who made no mistakes in the race after the controversial pole position in the qualifying rounds, achieved one of the most important results of the season by seeing the checkered flag in first place.

While there was joy on the Mercedes front, the same cannot be said for teammate Andrea Kimi Antonelli. The young Italian pilot was at a strategic disadvantage due to the timing of the Virtual Safety Car (VSC) period, which entered the track after Carlos Sainz’s problem on the start-finish straight.

Russell: “Max pushed me”

Speaking after the race, George Russell noted his teammate’s misfortune and praised Max Verstappen’s race pace.

“This time Kimi was the unlucky one. He had to pit right after the VSC, but these things happen in motorsport. For me, the race went pretty smoothly.”

Russell explained the pressure of the Red Bull pilot with the following words:

“I was really impressed with Verstappen’s pace. When you look at the difference between us and McLaren and Ferrari, you might think that Mercedes had a great race. But when you look at Max’s race pace, you realize how difficult it was. He put on constant pressure and I had to pit with 28 laps to go. It was a very difficult race in terms of tire management.”

Antonelli: “Brake problems cost a lot of time”

The performance of Andrea Kimi Antonelli, who finished the race in third place, was more impressive than the result table showed. The young pilot, who started from the fourth position after the chaotic session in qualifying, managed to catch up with his rivals with his strong pace throughout the race and came close to his teammate Russell and Verstappen.

However, technical problems prevented him from showing the performance he wanted, especially in the first part of the race.

“I struggled seriously with the brakes at the beginning of the race. In fact, the problem did not completely disappear throughout the race. One side of the brakes was getting much hotter than the other. Therefore, the car was pulling to the right and left during braking. The pedal feeling was also quite long. I constantly locked the tires and that is why I lost a lot of time.”

Antonelli thinks that the last part of the race could have turned out much differently if there were no technical problems.

“I had difficulty in the first part, but in the second stint I felt much better in the car. In the last part, we were really fast, but unfortunately I was late to catch up with my rivals.”

“If I had the opportunity, I would try to pass Verstappen”

The young Mercedes pilot also evaluated the possibility of attacking Verstappen in the final laps.

“I didn’t think about the championship points. If I had the opportunity, I definitely wouldn’t hesitate to try it. I was a little cautious throughout the race, but if an opportunity really arose, I would try to take it to the fullest.”

Although strategy and technical problems prevented Antonelli from achieving a better result, the race pace he displayed in Austria gave important signals for the future for Mercedes.