George Russell was comfortably adrift of Kimi Antonelli in final Monaco practice, but Toto Wolff knows the Briton can not be discounted from the pole fight.
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff issued a strong warning about George Russell ahead of Monaco Grand Prix qualifying, stating that Russell should not be underestimated. In final practice, Russell finished seven tenths behind his teammate Kimi Antonelli, who set a blistering pace to lead the session. Even Ferrari, which had a strong showing on Friday, could not match Antonelli’s speed, with Wolff acknowledging the impressive performance. Russell needs a strong weekend in Monaco to close the 43-point gap to Antonelli in the championship standings. Despite Antonelli’s strong showing, Wolff believes Russell cannot be counted out and is keen to see how both drivers perform in qualifying. The unexpected pace of Antonelli in practice highlighted Mercedes’ overnight improvements, although Antonelli was cautioned by his father not to push beyond the limit. Wolff sees this as a sign that Antonelli may have already maximized his performance potential in the car, hoping he can maintain this ease in qualifying.
