George Russell (Mercedes) given a reality check by Antonelli: Strange explanations

Kimi Antonelli secured his sixth pole position in Belgium, a full half-second faster than George Russell, which has left his Mercedes team-mate pondering – yet again. The Englishman is trying to explain why the Bolognese driver can go faster in the Mercedes, but it doesn’t all seem entirely convincing.

The seven-time Grand Prix winner from Great Britain said on Thursday in the paddock at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps: “I’m working on my driving style; I’m like a golfer trying out a new swing.”

But after qualifying, it suddenly sounds different. Now the 28-year-old Briton says: “After the Silverstone weekend, we thought my gap was down to my driving style. But now we’ve come to the conclusion – that’s not the reason.”

“In Q3, I lost four tenths to Kimi on the straights alone. That’s frustrating. In the second free practice session, the gap was as much as seven tenths. We’re really trying hard to understand this. In England, I thought it was down to my driving style. So I changed things around and realised – that’s not the explanation.”

“I still believe I can drive at least as fast as Kimi. But I feel like a boxer with one hand tied behind his back. Now I’ve got to get through this here in Belgium and hope we’ve got a solution for Hungary.”

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Former Formula 1 driver Karun Chandhok, now working for the British broadcaster Sky, finds it all a bit confusing. “According to my information, Kimi can carry more momentum out of the corners and use that energy more efficiently, which is why he’s faster on the straights.”

“But that contradicts what George has said, as he’s hinting between the lines that there’s a mechanical problem with his car – since it’s clearly not down to his driving style. It would be nice to hear something from Mercedes on this.”

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff in Belgium: “George is losing out in the corners and significantly on the straights. We haven’t yet been able to work out why that is.”