Championship leader Kimi Antonelli has promised to re-establish the order over Mercedes teammate George Russell at this weekend's Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia after being outperformed in Azerbaijan. The 20-year-old Italian had finished ahead of Russell in five successive grands prix before managing only fifth place in Baku, while Russell claimed victory from pole position.
The result reduced Antonelli's championship lead over Russell to 66 points with eight rounds remaining in the season. When asked whether Russell is now his only title rival after Lewis Hamilton dropped more than 100 points behind, Antonelli confirmed Russell has always been his main competition but insisted he would return to his usual performance level.
Antonelli described his Azerbaijan weekend as driving like his grandmother rather than showing his typical speed. He endured a scrappy few days, missing significant practice time due to technical issues before crashing in Q1 qualifying, which left him starting from 16th on the grid and lacking confidence throughout the race.
Mercedes deputy team principal Bradley Lord dismissed suggestions that Russell's strong performance would create psychological pressure for Antonelli. He emphasized that both drivers set high standards for themselves and that having two championship-capable drivers represents a team strength rather than a weakness as they head to Malaysia's Sepang circuit.