Mercedes explain the performance difference between Russell and Antonelli

Mercedes delivered a commanding qualifying performance at Suzuka, securing a front‑row lockout and reaffirming their status as the benchmark under the new regulations.

Kimi Antonelli led the way throughout the day, topping FP3 and carrying that momentum into qualifying, where he consistently held the edge over teammate George Russell.

The Italian rookie executed a superb banker lap at the start of Q3 that proved unbeatable, taking pole position with a time of 1:28.778. Although he did not improve on his second run, he did not need to, as Russell—struggling with a less cooperative car—finished nearly three tenths behind.

For Antonelli, the pole was both a reward and a thrill. “It feels great to take pole position today here at Suzuka. I've been having a lot of fun driving around such a brilliant circuit and pushing to the limit in qualifying,” he said.

The session was not entirely straightforward, with the W15 behaving differently from the morning. “The car was a little snappier than it had been in FP3, so it wasn't straightforward. We had some tyre overheating which we were dealing with too, but we were able to put together two solid laps in Q3.

"Thankfully our pace was strong enough to take P1.” Looking ahead to the race, Antonelli knows the start will be crucial. “I am looking forward to tomorrow. The start will be key, but we are just focused on ourselves and what we can do to make sure we hold the lead into turn one.

"We will be working on that with Bono and my other engineers this evening so we are as ready as possible. Hopefully we can do that, get the car in some clear air, and utilise the long run pace that we showed on Friday. Let's see what we can do.”

Russell’s path to the front row was far more complicated. A routine set‑up adjustment after FP3 unexpectedly transformed the balance of his car, leaving him wrestling with instability throughout qualifying.

“That was not a straightforward qualifying session on my side of the garage,” he admitted. “We made a small and standard set-up adjustment after FP3 to balance out the car but it made it a lot more difficult to drive. I was struggling with oversteer and tyre overheating and was having to adjust my driving around that to find the lap time.

"We also had to take a good chunk of front-wing flap out of the car too which wasn't ideal. These cars are so new that the set-up adjustment may have had a much more dramatic impact than we thought.”

Despite the difficulties, Russell salvaged a strong result. “With that challenge, ending the session P2 is not a bad result. Given how difficult overtaking usually is here at Suzuka, the start will be important. We've been working hard to improve how we get off the line and will be aiming to make sure we are the leading cars into turn one. That said, it will be a long race so there will be plenty of options.”

Toto Wolff praised both drivers while acknowledging the challenges faced on Russell’s side of the garage. “That was another solid qualifying session to start the season. Kimi continues to grow in confidence, and it was pleasing to see him put two strong laps together in Q3.

"It's not only about setting one fast lap but starting with a banker lap and going from there; today, his first lap was still good enough for pole position though as the track didn't seem to improve for many.”

As for Russell, Wolff confirmed the team had misjudged the impact of the set‑up change. “On George's side, we made a set-up tweak ahead of the session which we expected to have less of an impact than it did. It gave him a car that was much more on the nose, and he was dealing with a lot of oversteer, particularly in Q1 and Q2.

"It made it very difficult for him, and he did a good job to put the car on the front-row alongside Kimi.” Despite the front‑row lockout, Wolff kept the focus on Sunday. “We're pleased to have taken another front-row lockout, but points are scored on Sunday.

"It will be a long race tomorrow and we know that lots can happen around a track as challenging as Suzuka. As a team, we are focused on doing the job tomorrow and heading into this mini break in the calendar in as strong a position as we possibly can.”

Trackside engineering director Andrew Shovlin echoed the sentiment, praising both drivers while detailing the technical nuances behind their contrasting sessions.

“Well done to Kimi on his second career pole position and George for a battling effort to lockout the front-row. It's great to get another 1-2 to begin the season on Saturdays but this was far from straight forward.”

FP3 had been a mixed bag for Mercedes, with pace improving as the session progressed. “FP3 went to plan although our initial pace wasn't particularly impressive. As the session went on though, we found our feet and began to look stronger. Some of that may have been down to the run plans of others as the gap looked too big, but in terms of balance, the car was working nicely.”

The divergence between the two cars emerged only in qualifying. “Kimi left his car relatively unchanged for qualifying; George made some normal adjustments, but his car seemed to have become more difficult with the rear moving around a lot more.

"That tipped his balance into a lot of oversteer which he was able to balance out to some degree but, by the time he'd stabilised the entry, the car was not turning as well. He worked with the tools at his disposal to put together a solid lap though and take P2.”

Meanwhile, Antonelli’s session was clean and controlled. “Kimi meanwhile had a much cleaner session. All his new tyre times were competitive, and he did a great lap at the start of Q3 to secure the pole position.

"Starting at the front of the field is where you want to be but there are plenty of things we will need to overcome if we are to convert that into victory tomorrow. Our long run pace on Friday was strong though and hopefully we can deliver that on Sunday.”