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Kimi Antonelli ended Friday practice for the Belgian Grand Prix on top of the Free Practice 2 timesheets, but the Mercedes driver was clear that the result did not disguise the work still required from the team.
The Italian, who enters the weekend with a 25-point lead in the Drivers’ standings, recovered from a difficult opening session at Spa. Antonelli was only sixth-fastest in FP1 after describing the car as edgy, while Mercedes team-mate George Russell also struggled for performance.
Mercedes’ response was immediate. The team made significant setup changes before FP2, allowing Antonelli to find a more competitive balance and lead the session. The improvement also provided a useful direction for the remainder of the weekend, although Antonelli remained cautious about reading too much into the headline result.
“We made big changes with the car and it was a lot better, so that’s a good direction,” Antonelli said. “Of course, there’s still a lot of work to do as a team and as well with my driving. It was a much better session and now looking forward to tomorrow.”
The turnaround follows a weekend opening that exposed Mercedes’ sensitivity to its setup choices. As detailed in the report on Antonelli’s Belgian Grand Prix FP2, the team’s progress was significant, but the gap between its two cars remained a central talking point.
Trackside Engineering Director Andrew Shovlin explained that Mercedes had selected a configuration with insufficient downforce in FP1. That left both drivers struggling with a difficult car, described by Shovlin as “a bit of a handful” in the first session.
Antonelli converted the changes into the fastest time in FP2. Russell, however, finished eighth again, this time 1.2 seconds behind his team-mate and title rival.
Shovlin rejected the idea that the deficit reflected Russell’s true potential. He said the lap was not representative, pointing to several small issues and noting that Russell had completed only one attempt. The team also believed the difficult FP1 had compromised preparation for the second session.
“There’s plenty we can see that will be relatively easy for him to solve on the data,” Shovlin said. “I’m fairly sure he will be far closer tomorrow, if not a threat.”
Mercedes therefore leaves Friday with contrasting conclusions: Antonelli has momentum and the leading time, while Russell must use the data to close a gap Shovlin expects to be temporary.
He’s a software engineer with a deep passion for Formula 1 and motorsport. He co-founded Formula Live Pulse to make live telemetry and race insights accessible, visual, and easy to follow.