He credited Russell for managing his track time effectively to resolve the issue.
"You could see that we only managed to put it together in the final phase. We didn’t have balance," said Toto Wolff.
According to Wolff, Russell successfully altered his run profile to manage his rear tyre temperatures. Meanwhile, Antonelli suffered a technical issue that hindered his final run.
"George rescued it for himself by doing those two laps to create the balance and get more rear temperature.
And Kimi had a missed downshift.
That means on the fast lap one gear didn’t engage, and that was exactly where he lost the difference," said Toto Wolff.
Telemetry data from the Mercedes team revealed that Antonelli held an early advantage in the first sector of the circuit, showing better throttle application out of Turn 2.
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However, the data indicated that a delayed downshift at Turn 6 cost Antonelli time, allowing Russell to carry more speed through the corner and secure the advantage through the second sector.
