Brundle sees title-race opening for Russell after Baku win

George Russell’s victory at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix cut Mercedes team-mate Kimi Antonelli’s championship lead from 81 points to 66. Russell took his third win of the season and his first grand chelem in Baku. Antonelli recovered to finish fifth after crashing in qualifying and starting 16th.

Martin Brundle, a Sky Sports F1 pundit, believes the pressure of competing with Antonelli could bring another level out of Russell. In comments reported by RacingNews365 on 2 October, he pointed to Russell’s Baku performance and argued that challenging races still to come, including at Las Vegas, mean the title is not settled.

Brundle also said Mercedes expected roughly three-tenths of a second from an upgrade package, which might suit the way Russell likes the car to respond. He did not expect Antonelli’s qualifying crash to dent his confidence.