Wolff: 'Russell had the pace to race Verstappen at the front'

Starting from fifth place on the grid, the British driver crossed the finish line in second place.

"It's always a bit optimistic to say that he could have given Max a hard time," Mercedes CEO and team principal Toto Wolff began in Baku on Sunday.

Russell eventually finished around 14 and a half seconds behind the four-time world champion.

"Whether it would have been enough for a win, I don't know, but the car was good on both tyres and his pace was impressive," the Austrian explained.

The Mercedes driver skipped media day on Thursday because of his illness, but was already sitting in the car on Friday.

"I am really happy to be back on the podium. It's been a tough run of races recently, and I also have not felt well this weekend," the Brit stated.

Starting fifth, Russell passed Kimi Antonelli and Liam Lawson, then overcut Carlos Sainz.

In the standings, the Mercedes driver remains in fourth place, 33 points behind the defending world champion.

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