At Mercedes there was a mixed feelings at the start of the Formula 1 weekend. George Russell convinced on Friday with fourth and four tenths of a second behind Oscar Piatri. Teammate Andrea Kimi Antonelli only came 18th in his first home game with 1.113 seconds behind.
Russell is fundamentally satisfied after the sessions – even if McLaren seemed stronger again in the Longrun: “I had Oscar in view, and then suddenly no longer. He has Max [Verstappen] Overhauled and simply pulled away, “he says.” This shows where we are currently standing. Our fight is currently against Max and the Ferraris. “
In qualifying trim, however, it looked better for the British: “We were probably closer to McLaren in qualifying mode than in the Longruns,” he says, praising the new parts on the car that feel “okay”. One is “far away from lifting the world out of the fishing”, but consistency and points are the goal – a clearly realistic focus.
One topic was also the new, particularly soft C6 tire that was used for the first time this season. “He was actually pretty good in the qualifying run,” says Russell, who remembers Hypersoft who drove in Monaco a few years ago – even if he was not part of Formula 1 even at the time.
“Of course, the tire is not ideal for this route, but it brings variety.”
Formula 1 in Imola: bumpy start for Antonelli
For teammates Antonelli, however, the day was bumpy. The young Italian, who invited his entire school class, found no rhythm: “It was pretty chaotic today,” he says after training and explains why he was missing the time. “I made a mistake in the chicane, the grip was gone in the second run. I couldn’t cool the tires properly.”
The Italian had had to drop out the harassment on his fast round at the end of the second sector and was therefore unable to set time.
At least there was a positive aspect: “The Longrun on the medium felt quite good. I now know what I have to work on,” says Antonelli, who sees himself primarily responsibility: “The balance was better in FT2 than in FT1, but I have to increase clearly. Now it’s up to me.”
For the rest of the weekend, Mercedes could have a say in the fight for the podium – if you get the tires under control. For victory, it shouldn’t be enough thanks to McLaren.