Antonelli Sees Baku Qualifying Battle for Mercedes Despite Russell’s Illness
Baku, Azerbaijan – Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli expressed optimism following a promising Friday practice for the 2025 Azerbaijan Grand Prix, believing the team can challenge Ferrari and McLaren despite teammate George Russell being sidelined from media duties due to illness. Antonelli acknowledged recent struggles, having achieved a best finish of ninth in the last six races, including a ninth-place result at his home race two weeks ago.
The positive Friday pace comes after team principal Toto Wolff publicly criticised Antonelli’s performance at monza, a critique the rookie himself conceded was justified. With Russell unwell, Antonelli is focused on maximizing Mercedes’ potential around the Baku City Circuit, where tire strategy – specifically the choice between soft and medium Pirelli compounds - is expected to be crucial in Saturday’s qualifying session.
“There’s always something to find,” Antonelli stated. “Ferrari looks pretty swift but I think we can be in the fight and of course McLaren I think today didn’t really show their real pace, so I think it can be very tight tomorrow.”
Antonelli highlighted the unusual tyre performance as a key factor. “We’ll see also with the tyres because it seems like the medium is the faster tyre, so it’s going to be quite tricky tomorrow but we’ll try our best.” Russell, despite his illness, has demonstrated encouraging pace in practice, adding to the team’s hopes for a competitive weekend. The Azerbaijan Grand prix represents a critical opportunity for Mercedes to close the gap to frontrunners Ferrari as the 2025 season progresses.
