George Russell reveals Kimi Antonelli expectation after 'flawless' dent

George Russell is fully anticipating Kimi Antonelli to mount another stirring fightback after his Mercedes team-mate dented his "flawless" reputation in qualifying for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix

Antonelli clipped the inside barrier at Turn 1 during the opening segment of qualifying at the Baku City Circuit, a mistake apparently caused by a stronger headwind giving his Mercedes more front-end grip than on his previous run.

The impact broke the front-left suspension and track rod, forcing race engineer Peter Bonnington to tell the 20-year-old to stop on track after the young Italian had pleaded to continue.

Antonelli's opening lap had been quick enough to progress into Q2, but with the car damaged, he will start 16th.

It is a strikingly similar scenario to the one Antonelli faced at Monza three weeks ago, when he started 19th after incurring power unit penalties before going on to claim a remarkable victory.

Russell, who claimed pole position in Baku, said he still expects a stern challenge from both Antonelli and Red Bull's Max Verstappen.

"I feel Verstappen is going to be a threat," Russell said.

"Obviously, you can't discount Kimi. He started 19th in Monza, and now he's in 16th, so he should be leading a few laps earlier this time."

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Russell - 'There are mistakes along the way'

Russell, who currently sits 81 points behind Antonelli in the drivers' standings, needs to use Antonelli's rare mistake as a platform if he is to mount any kind of title challenge.

Asked whether he felt what unfolded in qualifying could be the start of a comeback, Russell said: "He [Antonelli] has been flawless this whole season.

"I think when you look at every championship campaign, even for the winners, there are mistakes along the way.

"So, I still keep on believing and keep on fighting until it isn't possible anymore. But I don't feel any pressure. I feel excitement every time I jump in the car now, purely because I feel more confident in myself."

"When that confidence starts to build, it's just like this upward cycle. On the flip side, when you're on the back foot, you start losing that confidence, and then you start pushing the limits more, and that's when mistakes happen."

"But, as I said, he's been flawless this season. It's the first mistake he's made in a qualifying or race this whole year."

On the contrary, Antonelli has made errors this season, notably running wide twice on the opening lap in Austria, and failing to slow for yellow flags in qualifying for the Hungarian GP, resulting in him being handed a three-place grid penalty.