Wolff points to traffic issues that hindered Russell during Silverstone qualifying
Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff praised his team's performance after a standout Saturday at Silverstone, where Kimi Antonelli claimed both his maiden Sprint victory and first Formula 1 pole position, while George Russell remained firmly in contention despite a challenging day.
Antonelli continued his impressive form throughout the British Grand Prix weekend. After starting second in the Sprint, the Italian overtook Lewis Hamilton to claim his first Sprint victory before delivering a superb lap of 1:28.111 in qualifying to secure pole position by nearly two tenths of a second over Charles Leclerc.
Russell's Saturday proved more complicated. The Briton fought his way to fourth in the Sprint following battles with Max Verstappen, Lando Norris and Charles Leclerc before qualifying fourth after traffic compromised his final run in Q3.
Reflecting on the day's action, Wolff acknowledged the close contest with Ferrari, which has emerged as Mercedes' biggest rival at Silverstone.
"It has been a real battle with Ferrari so far this weekend. They have been quick from the first session, and we’ve had to work hard to take the fight to them.
"In the Sprint, we saw lots of yo-yoing as drivers used different deployment strategies to try and gain position. Kimi was able to get ahead of Lewis (Hamilton) and then break the overtake mode to take the win. For George, he ended up in a fight with multiple cars. He did well to get P4 and showed good pace."
Wolff was particularly pleased with Antonelli's composed qualifying performance, while also believing Russell remains well placed despite the frustration of missing out on a better grid position.
"In Qualifying, both drivers were quick and Kimi managed to hook his lap up at the end of Q3 to take pole. For George, he was in the mix but traffic ahead of his final effort cost him the optimal lap.
"P4 is still an OK position to start from, and we know he will still be in the fight for victory tomorrow. It will be a long race and there will likely be plenty of opportunities."
