Antonelli concedes defeat to Norris despite remarkable recovery drive

The Italian started seventh after receiving a three-place grid penalty for a yellow flag infringement following Max Verstappen's spin during qualifying. Despite Mercedes lacking its usual dominant pace throughout the weekend, Antonelli fought his way onto the podium, securing his ninth top-three finish in 11 races and extending his championship lead over Lewis Hamilton to 50 points.

"I think today we maximized the result. Obviously, we were a bit lucky with the VSC, I mean, with Oscar's issue, but other than that, we did the best we could. Conditions were quite difficult today, struggling a little bit with oversteer, balance, and then understeer. Conditions were not easy today, but I'm happy with the result," he said after the race.

Speaking after the race, Antonelli admitted that even starting from third on the grid would probably not have been enough to challenge Norris for victory, with the McLaren driver holding the edge on outright pace throughout the weekend. The Mercedes driver also praised the team's strategy, explaining that although it initially took a risk before adopting a more cautious approach, the calls from the pit wall ultimately put him in a position to fight for a podium finish.

Speaking to GPblog among other media after the race, Wolff was quick to play down suggestions that Antonelli should now be considered the outright favourite for the world championship.

Despite the Italian stretching his advantage at the top of the standings to 50 points, the Mercedes team principal stressed that there was still a long way to go, warning that reliability issues or a single retirement could quickly transform the title battle. He added that the team's sole focus remained on maximising every race weekend before making any predictions about the championship outcome.