George Russell believes he has finally unlocked the Mercedes after a difficult season, giving him renewed confidence that he can challenge for victories regularly and reduce Kimi Antonelli’s championship advantage.
Russell claimed his third win of the campaign in Azerbaijan last weekend, ending a three-month wait for another victory. The result came alongside what the Briton sees as an important breakthrough in understanding how to extract performance from Mercedes’ car under Formula 1’s new technical regulations.
He remains 66 points behind team-mate Antonelli with seven or eight races left, but Russell now feels far more comfortable with both the car and the driving style required to maximise it.
Much of his early-season difficulty came from having to consciously adapt his technique to the characteristics of the new Mercedes. Russell says those adjustments have gradually become instinctive, allowing him to focus more on outright pace rather than constantly thinking about how to manage the car.
That progress has restored his confidence after a season in which he had rarely felt capable of fighting consistently at the front despite beginning the year among the championship favourites.
Mercedes will arrive at Sepang expecting strong competition from McLaren, whose car is likely to suit the circuit’s fast and flowing layout. However, Mercedes is also introducing its first significant upgrade for some time, with the team hoping the new package can strengthen its challenge.
Russell is approaching the championship situation one race at a time despite the sizeable gap to Antonelli. With roughly a third of the season still remaining, he believes recent improvements have at least put him in a position to compete for wins if Mercedes can maintain its progress.
Antonelli, meanwhile, endured one of his most difficult weekends of the year in Baku. A qualifying crash left the Italian 16th on the grid, although he recovered to finish fifth.
The championship leader deliberately adopted a more cautious approach during the race after a disrupted weekend, prioritising a clean finish over unnecessary risks. Although he was disappointed with the overall performance, Antonelli said the experience reinforced the importance of operating at maximum commitment throughout a race weekend.
Mercedes now heads into the next round with both drivers taking different lessons from Azerbaijan: Russell with renewed momentum and Antonelli aiming to respond after one of his toughest events of the season.