“TINY” ERROR BEHIND ANTONELLI’S “NO BATTERY” RADIO MESSAGES ON FINAL LAP – WOLFF

Mercedes Team Principal Toto Wolff explained Andrea Kimi Antonelli’s "no battery" radio message from qualifying, attributing it to a "tiny" timing error. Despite race engineer Peter Bonnington’s pre-lap warning to deploy boost earlier, Antonelli pushed the button "a tiny bit too late," preventing full energy deployment on his final push lap. He still secured third on the grid, just three-tenths behind teammate George Russell.

Russell, meanwhile, bounced back from a difficult Monaco by clinching pole. He revealed his recent struggles stemmed from attempting to copy Antonelli’s car setup after Miami, where Antonelli was quicker. Russell realized this approach didn't suit him and reset his W17 setup to his early-season preferences for this weekend. This shift paid dividends, giving Russell crucial points in his bid to cut Antonelli’s significant 68-point championship lead. The internal battle between the two drivers for title contention heats up considerably.