Mercedes

Antonelli and Russell duelled off the line, with the youngster getting ahead. They went side by side again at the rolling restart, keeping their fights clean and fair much to the relief of the team. But from there Antonelli had the edge, and he gradually closed in on Norris ahead. But with the track still damp, it was too hard to leave the dry racing line and challenge the McLaren man for the lead. Second and third was still a strong enough result to lift Mercedes into second in the championship.

Like Norris, Antonelli was able to continue his form from the Sprint in Qualifying, as he grabbed P2 on the grid for his best Grand Prix start. But Russell was struggling with his tyres, so much so he opted to bolt on some mediums for his final flying run in Q3 – to no avail.

George Russell, Sprint: 3rd, Qualifying: 6th, 1:09.942

“First of all, a huge congratulations to Kimi. He did a massive job out there and I’m really proud of him and the team. On my side, P6 is not where I wanted to be today. I struggled a lot to put the Soft tyres in the right window and couldn’t find the necessary grip to put a good lap together. With only one hour of practice yesterday and the changing weather conditions overnight, making both Soft and Medium tyres perform proved challenging.

“Whilst starting from the third row is far from ideal, we are ahead of one Ferrari and both Red Bulls. That is very important in our fight for P2 in the Constructors’ Championship. We were able to add good points collectively as a team in this morning’s Sprint and will be looking to do the same in tomorrow’s Grand Prix.”

Kimi Antonelli, Sprint: 2nd, Qualifying: 2nd, 1:09.685

“I am really happy to be starting on the front row for tomorrow’s race. Qualifying was not easy with a lot of unexpected wind gusts, but we managed to put everything together from Q1 to Q3. We were able to put the tyres in the right window, and we did a solid job as a team, putting a good lap together at the end when it mattered.

“Throughout the weekend, I’ve been more and more comfortable with the car, and I’ve been enjoying racing on this track. The crowd is amazing here and it gives a lot of energy to perform at your best. The Sprint was exciting; I was pushing hard at the end using the Medium tyre to put Lando (Norris) under pressure. I got close but didn’t have enough speed to attempt an overtake. Nevertheless, that is a good sign for tomorrow’s race. I’m excited to be starting at the front, can hopefully fight the cars around us, and look to add some good points in our battle for P2 in the Constructors’ Championship.”

Toto Wolff, Head of Mercedes-Benz Motorsport

“That was a solid day in the office for us as a team. Kimi has performed strongly all weekend, despite this being his first time racing around here, and he maximised the result in both this morning’s Sprint and this afternoon’s qualifying. He was matching Lando (Norris) right up until the last corner on his final effort in Q3. There was, just like yesterday, a chance of him taking pole potentially but P2 is a good position to be starting from tomorrow.

“For George, he has been struggling with a lack of grip and that showed itself particularly on the Soft compound tyre. We will see what we can do with the tools we have at our disposal to help him with that tomorrow. Starting P6, he will be looking to move forward and gain positions. Our pace in the Sprint offers hope that he can do that and that Kimi can be in the fight right at the front. The conditions are once again likely to change tomorrow though so we won’t take anything for granted.”

Andrew Shovlin, Trackside Engineering Director

“The day got off to a good start with the Sprint race. We decided to go on the Soft tyre for the start line benefit, especially considering the slightly damp track. This decision worked out quite nicely with the subsequent red flag, allowing us to fit the Medium tyre and manage the rest of the race well from there. Putting both cars onto the Sprint race podium was a nice achievement this morning but our focus quickly shifted to preparing for qualifying.

“With good pace on both single lap and long run, we headed into that session with confidence. Kimi had a solid hour from start to finish, and P2 is another very strong result. George struggled a bit with the Soft tyre on the other hand. We will have a look at the data overnight to understand the issue and solve the lack of comfort George has felt all weekend.

“The starting grid should make tomorrow’s race interesting. George’s good pace this morning should help him progress to the front tomorrow. Kimi showed today that he can match Lando’s (Norris) pace and fight at the front. We’re studying all strategies available to put the field under some pressure tomorrow.”