Antonelli: Three into one is always going to be difficult

Antonelli was Lando Norris' closest competitor all weekend long around the Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace. With Norris' McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri continuing to struggle for pace, the Italian youngster took over as the Championship leader's rival, narrowly losing out in the Sprint by less than a second.

The 19-year-old wasn't able to put up as much of a fight in the main race, as he ultimately finished over ten seconds behind Norris who won the Grand Prix. Instead, Antonelli was forced to keen an eye on his mirrors in the final few laps as he defended resolutely against a hard-charging Max Verstappen.

While the teenager is firmly out of the Drivers' Title fight, he has helped secure 18 points for Mercedes as they hope to keep hold of P2 in the Constructors' Standings.

Antonelli was grateful to his team for supplying a solid package for the Sao Paulo Grand Prix weekend.

He said: "Overall, this weekend, we have done a great job as a team. We weren't the quickest car here, so I think we've absolutely maximised each session and result with P2 in both qualifying sessions, the Sprint, and today's race.

"There are still a lot of things I am learning and improving on, but this gives me good confidence going into the final three races of the season.

"Our battle is for P2 in the Constructors' Championship, and I am glad we could add a good haul of points here in Brazil," stated the Italian driver.

Antonelli was reserved in his celebrations however, as he expressed disappointment for a collision with Ferrari's Charles Leclerc which ended the latter's race.

He continued: "It was also looking like we might not score any points at one point. I had a bad restart following the Safety Car, picking up lots of wheelspin.

"I had both Charles (Leclerc) and Oscar (Piastri) either side; I braked late and was leaving space for the Ferrari along with not closing the inside of the corner down too sharply for the McLaren.

"Unfortunately, three into one is always going to be difficult; Oscar locked up and next thing I knew contact was made and then I was pushed into Charles. It was a shame that it ended the Ferrari's race but that's racing sometimes," added Antonelli.

Russell has been the faster of the two Mercedes drivers for the vast majority of the 2025 season, but this was certainly not the case in Brazil. The Briton finished behind Antonelli in all sessions throughout the weekend, and crossed the line in the Grand Prix itself in fourth.

The Mercedes driver admitted that he was far from his best at Sao Paulo.

He said: "It's been a tough weekend for me. I've been struggling with the car and to find the necessary pace to really challenge at the front.

"To take home P4 after a long race is a good result, both for me and for the team given our position in the Constructors' Championship.

"I was having to manage my brake temperatures at the end and that made it more difficult to fight Verstappen for P3. Realistically though, I'm not sure we had the pace today to get on the podium."

Russell reiterated the goals that Antonelli mentioned, with the aim of helping Mercedes secure second place in the Constructors' Championship.

He stated: "Our goal for the end of the season is clear: beat Red Bull and Ferrari to P2 come Abu Dhabi. This weekend has put us back in the driving seat in the battle and hopefully we can build on that in the year-ending triple-header.

"Kimi did a great job to get P2 too. He's been super quick all weekend and that's great to see. We will be working as pair to score as many points as possible and hopefully come out on top by the time we reach the chequered flag at Yas Marina," concluded Russell.

Formula 1 returns in a fortnight's time in Las Vegas. The race commences Sunday 23 November at 04:00 GMT (Saturday 22 November at 20:00 local time).