George Russell showed his best form of the season so far in Baku and narrowed the gap on Kimi Antonelli – but is it too late now?
George Russell impressively demonstrated at the Formula 1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix that he is heading in the right direction with Mercedes. The Mercedes driver celebrated his first career Grand Slam in Baku by securing pole position, leading every lap, setting the fastest lap of the race and taking the win.
He has reduced his deficit to championship leader Kimi Antonelli to 66 points and is convinced that, in this form, he would now be a serious title contender.
“I didn’t really see myself as part of this battle over several races, simply because my performance wasn’t strong enough,” explains Russell. “Now I feel that if the season had started today, or even after the summer break, I would certainly have been in a position to fight for the title.”
The Briton may therefore be hitting his stride just as the decisive phase of this Formula 1 season begins. At the same time, Russell benefited in Baku from the fact that Antonelli started from 16th on the grid following a mistake in qualifying.
However, the Italian fought his way up to fifth place, meaning Russell was only able to reduce his deficit in the World Championship from 81 to 66 points. With seven or eight race weekends still to go, Antonelli therefore remains clearly in the stronger position.
Russell has not regarded his own title chances as all that realistic of late, given his weaker performances in the first half of the season.
Russell focuses on race wins
Despite his improved position in the World Championship standings, the Mercedes driver has no intention of changing his approach. Rather than focusing on the points gap, Russell intends to tackle each remaining race on its own merits. Next up this weekend is Formula 1’s one-off return to Malaysia.
“I’m a long way behind now,” says Russell. “That can change quickly. That’s why I’m not chasing it. I’m focusing on winning every race, and whatever happens, happens,” says the Briton calmly.
His resurgence is the result of a progression throughout the season. After struggling to adapt to the new rules for 2026, he seems to have increasingly found the right set-up and working method with Mercedes.
Antonelli still fifth despite qualifying mistake
For Antonelli, the Baku weekend was also an important test, despite the disappointing qualifying session. The 20-year-old had already lost valuable track time in FT1 due to problems. His mistake in Q1 was then a further setback and forced him to start the Grand Prix from 16th on the grid.
However, rather than trying to make up lost ground by taking excessive risks, Antonelli took a patient approach. He gradually worked his way through the midfield and later benefited from a double safety car period. In the end, he finished fifth.
Russell subsequently highlighted the differing levels of pressure currently facing the two Mercedes drivers. Whilst he himself had dropped important points in the first half of the season, Antonelli had enjoyed a virtually flawless season up until his mistake in Baku and had celebrated eight victories.
“There’s significantly less pressure on me than on him,” emphasised Russell. “He’s had an incredibly flawless season. [Das Qualifying] was probably his first mistake in a proper session this season, and yet he still finished fifth.”
Although Russell has narrowed the gap to his team-mate, Antonelli remains well clear in the lead with a 66-point advantage with eight race weekends still to go. For Russell, the main priority now is to maintain his current form and continue to close the points gap race by race.
