Mercedes shines in Baku: Toto Wolff hails Kimi Antonelli’s breakthrough and George Russell’s heroic drive. Toto Wolff celebrated Mercedes’ strong Baku GP.

Mercedes star shines bright in Baku

The streets of Baku provided the perfect backdrop for Mercedes to rediscover competitiveness. The layout of the Azerbaijani track shares similarities with Montreal, the only circuit where the Brackley team had truly impressed earlier in the 2025 Formula 1 season. To add to that, cool weather conditions played directly into the strengths of the W16, creating the ideal circumstances for Mercedes to challenge near the front. It was no surprise, then, that the Silver Arrows came close to a double podium, with only a flawless Max Verstappen preventing them from securing an even better result.

George Russell executed the perfect strategy, opting for a long opening stint on the hard tyres – the compound that worked best – before switching to mediums in the final phase. This clever approach allowed him to pull off an overcut not only on his teammate Kimi Antonelli but also on Liam Lawson and Carlos Sainz. Meanwhile, Antonelli delivered a solid performance himself, one that drew praise from team principal Toto Wolff following recent criticisms.

Toto Wolff’s reaction

Toto Wolff could not hide his satisfaction after the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. “It was a positive weekend for us, and we leave Baku with a strong result. It was fantastic to be back on the podium with a second place and to see Kimi secure valuable points in fourth,” the Austrian team boss said. “Of course, we always aim for the top step, but this gives us positive momentum after two tough races following the summer break.”

Wolff also had words of respect for Mercedes’ rivals: “Congratulations to Carlos Sainz, James Vowles and Williams for their third place. They fully deserved it. Kimi gave everything he could to get close enough to attack, but their pace was just a little too strong,” he admitted. “Still, Kimi did a great job overtaking Lawson. We saw how difficult it was, as even Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari and Yuki Tsunoda’s Red Bull could not make the move despite being in DRS range. Kimi will use this weekend as a springboard for the final seven races of the season.”

The Mercedes boss also emphasized the extraordinary effort from George Russell, who was battling illness throughout the weekend. “George had a fantastic race. He was unwell for the entire weekend and was uncertain on Friday and Saturday if he would even be able to drive. To deliver such a performance under those conditions was a tremendous effort, and getting a result like this was truly outstanding.”