"I’ve been feeling comfortable in the car," claims Antonelli after frustrating end to qualifying

Mercedes emerged from a tense and unpredictable qualifying session at the Austrian Grand Prix with mixed emotions: elation for George Russell’s superb pole position, and quiet encouragement for Andrea Kimi Antonelli, who felt he had been on a lap capable of challenging his teammate before circumstances intervened.

Russell ultimately secured pole with a 1:06.113, delivering a blistering final effort after lifting briefly for Max Verstappen’s crash at Turn 10. Antonelli, running just ahead of him on track, aborted his own lap after seeing the incident and believing double yellow flags were being shown.

With only single yellows in place, Russell was able to resume full speed and convert his momentum into a commanding pole by more than two tenths.

Antonelli will start fourth, but the Italian’s performance across the session — fastest in both Q1 and Q2, and provisionally ahead after the first Q3 runs — underlined his growing confidence and competitiveness in the W17.

“It’s been a positive weekend so far and we’ve been able to show good pace as we’ve progressed through the sessions,” Antonelli said afterwards, noting that his final lap had been shaping up well before the late interruption

“The final lap in qualifying was coming together well and looked like it could have been close to George, which is encouraging and a learning experience for me.”

Despite the frustration of the aborted lap, Antonelli emphasised that the underlying pace remains strong, particularly over longer runs — an area Mercedes has targeted as a strength at the Red Bull Ring.

“I’ve been feeling comfortable in the car, and we’ve shown particularly strong pace on the long runs, so that gives us a good platform heading into tomorrow,” he explained.

“It’s going to be a challenging race with the conditions and high tyre degradation, so managing that will be key. There is a lot to play for and with different strategies possible, we’ll aim to move forward and maximise the result.”

Russell echoed the sense of momentum within the team, praising the car’s behaviour in Q3 and the supportive environment that has allowed both drivers to push with confidence.

“P1 feels really good today. That last lap in Q3 felt unbelievable,” he said. “I’ve felt confident in the car all weekend and I’m really pleased we were able to deliver when it mattered most.”