Russell pinpoints Antonelli spin as potential SQ2 exit cause in major Mercedes blow
George Russell says a spin by Kimi Antonelli may have led to damage that knocked him out of SQ2.
In a strange turn of events, Kimi Antonelli’s spin in Sprint qualifying ahead of the Belgian Grand Prix may have caused teammate George Russell’s SQ2 exit.
Russell has noted that his Mercedes sustained damage after running over gravel that Antonelli had tracked onto the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, though it’s not clear yet if that damage caused his lack of pace.
Mercedes face intra-team struggle in Belgian GP Sprint qualifying
With its drivers starting 13th and 20th for Saturday’s Sprint race ahead of the Belgian Grand Prix, Mercedes will be wondering what, exactly went wrong — and it could very well have everything to do with its drivers getting caught up in issues with the same spin.
In SQ1, both Kimi Antonelli and George Russell were sent out on track in rapid succession, but at Stavelot, Antonelli ran wide during his first flying lap. He rejoined the track after kicking up a cloud of dust, bringing with him plenty of gravel.
That gravel was dropped onto the tarmac directly in front of George Russell.
“Argh, lost a *** load of time with that gravel,” Russell reported over team radio.
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Antonelli unfortunately could not set a better time, and he finished SQ1 down in 20th place.
Russell, for his own part, was able to continue — at least, for a bit. He set the fifth-fastest time in SQ1. But in the next session, he reported damage to his car and could do no better than 13th.
Asked if track evolution was the reason for his issues after the session, Russell replied, “I don’t think so, to be honest. We’ve had the pace all day.”
However, he does have a theory as to what went wrong.
“In [S]Q1, I ran over all that gravel when Kimi went off,” he explained. “For the rest of that lap, it felt terrible. The lap after, it felt terrible. And then my lap in [S]Q2 felt terrible.
“We saw some damage on the car. We need to see if that’s the reason, because obviously it’s a big shock to be out in [S]Q2, and obviously the gap was so big. I’m sure there’s a reason for it.”
Asked if he’d made any set-up changes that could have impacted the performance, Russell denied it.
“No, no; the pace was good in practice, the pace was good in [S]Q1, but as I said, as soon as I went through that gravel, the car didn’t feel the same since,” he said.
“We saw some damage on the car. I’m sure that must be a factor. Not ideal; it’s only the sprint race. I can make some progress tomorrow.
Kimi Antonelli, for his own part, seemed just as perplexed by his spin as Russell was by his damage. Asked if the spin was the result of a gust of wind, he replied, “I don’t know.
“It was actually a pretty decent lap. I was around P4.
“It just was weird because I lost it completely on exit. Just need to check, maybe a gust of wind, but it was quite weird the way I lost the car.”
Still, Antonelli admitted that “the car felt good over the lap, so definitely confident for tomorrow.”
From 20th on the grid, he’ll be hard-pressed to make it up to a points-paying position in the Sprint, but Grand Prix qualifying could make for a much better performance for the rookie.
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