The Italian rookie struggles to gain ground and finishes far from the midfield group, while the British driver avoids trouble and secures another top-five result. Here are the post-race comments from both Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team drivers.
2025 Belgian Grand Prix – Mercedes
At the Spa-Francorchamps circuit, characterized by intermittent rain and long periods of uncertainty, the Mercedes-AMG team experienced a relatively calm Sprint session. George Russell managed a clean race and secured fifth place, overtaking Alexander Albon during the course of the event. Meanwhile, Andrea Kimi Antonelli, who started the race from the pit lane due to setup changes, spent much of the race fighting at the back of the field. The young Italian driver hoped for a comeback, but progress proved difficult. Only around the halfway point of the Grand Prix did he manage to move up to fourteenth place, eventually finishing just ahead of Fernando Alonso in the Aston Martin.
The Silver Arrows team leaves Belgium with George Russell bringing home ten more points thanks to his fifth-place finish. He crossed the finish line behind the two McLaren drivers, Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, and reigning World Champion Max Verstappen. This result allows the British driver to solidify his position in the Formula 1 Drivers’ Championship standings, maintaining fourth place overall. His gap to Dutch rival Max Verstappen, representing Red Bull Racing, now stands at 28 points.
While Russell’s situation in the standings shows signs of progress—albeit slight—Andrea Kimi Antonelli’s position remains unchanged. The young driver from Bologna is still seventh in the championship standings, holding 63 points. In the Constructors’ Championship, Mercedes continues to occupy third place, trailing Scuderia Ferrari, with a total of 220 points.
2025 Belgian GP – George Russell: “Disappointing weekend. We need to understand where to improve”
Following a tough home Grand Prix at Silverstone, George Russell returned to the top five in Belgium and picked up valuable points that helped lift team morale. After the race, Russell admitted that fifth place was likely the best result the team could have achieved under the circumstances. He stated: “We didn’t have great pace today and were quite far from our main rivals. We had to drive a lonely race, and finishing fifth is quite frustrating for us.”
He continued by reflecting on the overall team performance during the Spa weekend: “The weekend was disappointing for the entire team. We need to understand quickly why we struggled so much on this circuit. It will be crucial to analyze exactly where we’ve lost ground compared to the other top teams over these past few race weekends.” Russell concluded by turning his focus to the next event: “Before the summer break, we have one more Grand Prix to reset things. Now our focus shifts to Budapest.”
2025 Belgian GP – Andrea Kimi Antonelli: “We’re focused on doing our best in Hungary”
Andrea Kimi Antonelli has scored points in only one of the last seven Formula 1 Grands Prix, a clear sign of a turbulent period in his debut season. Despite this difficult stretch, the Italian driver remains optimistic about the potential of the Mercedes W16 car. He explained: “Together with the team, we chose a wet-weather setup, and this helped us during the early laps. I was able to make some overtakes, and I felt comfortable inside the car.”
However, the rapidly changing track conditions proved costly for the rookie. “Then the circuit began drying very quickly, and I really struggled with straight-line speed compared to the other cars,” he clarified. Antonelli found himself stuck in traffic during much of the second half of the race. “I was still close to the cars ahead of me, but I couldn’t make any more overtakes and got stuck behind Esteban Ocon,” he added.
Overall, it was a challenging weekend for the Mercedes garage at Spa. Looking ahead to the next round in Budapest, Andrea Kimi Antonelli concluded: “We will do everything we can to approach the next Grand Prix in the best possible way. A good result would be incredibly helpful, both for me and for the whole team. We’re fully focused on achieving that.”
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