George Russell versus Kimi Antonelli in Baku: the last-chance race?

A glance at the championship standings says it all: Kimi Antonelli leads the Drivers’ Championship with 292 points, whilst his closest rival, George Russell, has 211. If the Englishman still wants to be in contention for the title, he’ll have to start chipping away at the Italian’s lead.

Russell had his first chance to do so at Monza: George was on grid position xx, whilst Antonelli was only on P19 because a new power unit had to be fitted to Kimi’s car.

But in the Grand Prix, Antonelli turned the tables: the 19-year-old secured his eighth win of the season and thus has more victories to his name in his second F1 season than Russell, who is in his fifth year with Mercedes. The Briton had to settle for fifth place at Monza.

Now George Russell has a new opportunity: following a superb performance in Baku, he secured his 12th Formula 1 pole position, whilst Kimi Antonelli crashed into a barrier and was forced to retire as early as Q1. This means the championship leader will in all likelihood have to start the race from 16th on the grid.

Could this be Russell’s last chance to slow down the championship express that is Kimi Antonelli? If not here in Baku, with such a brilliant performance, then when and where?

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Russell, who has competed in 166 Grands Prix, said at the Baku City Circuit: “I wouldn’t call this a breakthrough just yet. Things are simply going very well – they have been all weekend. Since the summer break, my team and I have made progress in getting to grips with this car; unfortunately, that hasn’t always been reflected in the results.”

“I don’t expect us to have such a big lead in the race here. McLaren were suddenly lightning fast, as if out of nowhere; I couldn’t believe that at one point they were leading with both cars. You always have to reckon with Max Verstappen. And of course, I’m not writing Kimi off either. I haven’t forgotten that he started from P19 at Monza.”

Let’s be honest: does George Russell think that Kimi Antonelli – who’s practically got one hand on the World Championship trophy – is now getting nervous? Russell: “No, I don’t think so. He’s been flawless in most situations this season, even under intense pressure.”

“But if we look back over the past few years, even World Championship contenders have made the odd mistake from time to time, including drivers who went on to become world champions. That’s just something that happens over the course of a season. For my part, I’ll fight tooth and nail and won’t give up as long as there’s still a chance, no matter how slim it is.”