Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has issued a firm warning regarding George Russell ahead of Monaco Grand Prix qualifying, insisting that you can "never write him off".
Russell was fourth in final practice but finished seven tenths adrift of team-mate Kimi Antonelli, who set a blistering pace to top the session.
Antonelli was the only driver to break into the 1m 12s, with not even Ferrari, which dominated Friday, able to get close to the championship leader.
"That was a good session for Kimi, fast," Wolff told Sky F1. "Now we just need to continue to build for qualifying.
"Leclerc’s lap before he made a mistake in Turn 10 was there or thereabout, so it’s still not going to be in the walk in the park but we are very positively surprised."
Russell is in need of a strong weekend at the Circuit de Monaco to begin chipping away at his 43-point deficit to Antonelli, whose momentum continues to grow.
Finishing behind the Italian in Monaco would represent another significant blow to Russell's title hopes, but Wolff insists that the 28-year-old cannot be ruled out this weekend.
"I think with George you can never write him off," added Wolff. "He’s going to look at the data, he still didn’t feel 100 per cent confident or comfortable in the car in the way that Kimi did, so I’m quite keen to see how the two are going to be in qualifying."
Antonelli's pace-setting time in final practice came as a huge surprise given Mercedes' struggles on Friday, with overnight changes proving highly effective.
However, the 19-year-old was warned by his father about pushing over the limit, with Wolff believing it is a sign that Antonelli cannot extract much more from the car.
On Antonelli being warned by his father about pushing too hard, Wolff said: "Kimi’s dad is a driver and has been part of making Kimi what he is today, and if the father says that he’s already quite on the limit, that means this and no more!
"It’s an experience thing – I hope he can carry that easiness about it into qualifying and have the car fly."
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