P1racenews AI automatic summary:
George Russell has revealed that Andrea Kimi Antonelli’s huge crash in practice at Formula 1’s Italian Grand Prix has left Mercedes with no more spare upgrade parts. Antonelli, who has been announced as Russell’s new team-mate in 2025, embarked upon his F1 weekend debut at Monza in FP1 in the Briton’s W15 when he shunted. […]
Antonelli, Russell’s new teammate for 2025, had a bumpy F1 weekend debut at Monza, crashing in FP1 in Russell’s car. Despite being on the verge of improving his time in FP1, Antonelli spun out and hit the barrier at Parabolica, causing Russell to miss part of FP2 while the car was repaired. Despite a rocky start, Russell impressed in qualifying, securing third place on the grid. Russell expressed surprise at ending up behind the McLaren duo and struggled to find the right setup until the last moment. The crash meant Mercedes had fewer updated parts, risking a potential switch to older components if more damage occurred. With limited track time compared to others, Russell acknowledged heading into the race at a disadvantage and is hopeful for a strong performance, aiming to challenge McLaren for victory depending on their start.