George Russell will start third and Kimi Antonelli fifth in tomorrow’s Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, after an intense qualifying session under the Jeddah lights. In final practice, the team concentrated on optimizing single-lap tyre warm-up—valuable preparation for the cooler evening conditions despite the 50°C track temperatures earlier in the day.
George Russell:
“Securing P3 is a really positive outcome for us tonight. Before the session, we’d definitely have accepted third. But with how close it was in Q3, you naturally start thinking about whether there was another tenth to be found for pole. That said, I’m happy with the result. The red flag disrupted our first flying laps, so it all came down to that final push—and I think we delivered when it counted.”
“We’ve got solid pace for the race, and hopefully we can turn that into another podium. McLaren, especially Piastri, looked very quick on Friday, so he might be tough to beat. But starting from P3 gives us a real shot at a strong result—ideally our fourth podium from the first five rounds of 2025.”
Both Russell and Antonelli advanced smoothly into Q3. The front of the grid was fiercely competitive, with Mercedes, McLaren, and Red Bull all closely matched. A red flag midway through Q3, caused by Lando Norris hitting the wall at Turn 5, left both Mercedes drivers with just one fresh set of Softs and a single chance to set their final times.
Russell narrowly missed out on pole by just 0.110 seconds, locking in third place. Antonelli suffered a slide in the first sector that cost him a couple of tenths, leaving him fifth—still a strong result for the rookie.
Kimi Antonelli:
“That was an intense qualifying session. I kept building my pace throughout, but I had a big snap on my first Q1 run and had to use an extra set of fresh tyres to get through. That wasn’t ideal, but we made it to Q3. After the red flag, it all hinged on the final lap. I’ll need to review it, but I made a mistake early on that cost me a few tenths. The rest of the lap felt great though, so I think P4 might’ve been possible.”
“I’m gaining more confidence each weekend. This track demands precision and bravery, especially in the high-speed corners near the walls. I’m learning every time I’m in the car, and it’s starting to come together. Let’s stay grounded though—tomorrow’s race will be long, and I’ll focus on bringing home good points for the team.”
Toto Wolff:
“That was a thrilling qualifying session, even if we came up just short of the top three. The gaps between us, McLaren, and Red Bull were incredibly small. Pole would have been ideal, of course, but after FP3 we weren’t expecting to be fighting for P1. George did a fantastic job to put himself right in the mix.”
“Kimi once again showed maturity and speed beyond his experience. A small mistake in sector one cost him a few tenths, otherwise he might have grabbed P4. Even so, P5 is a great place to start.”
“Our car has been consistently competitive over the first five races, always in the podium fight. McLaren seemed to have strong long-run pace on Friday, so Piastri may be tough to challenge—but we’re in a good position, and as always, we’ll give it everything tomorrow.”
