Practice running in Baku 'was a good recovery' – Antonelli

Kimi Antonelli overcame a challenging Thursday in Baku, where he experienced limited track time due to a hydraulic issue in FP1 and power unit damage in FP2. Despite missing significant practice, the Mercedes driver managed to secure the fifth and second fastest times in the respective sessions. Antonelli described the day as a "good recovery" and is looking forward to improving further. Mercedes Deputy Team Principal Bradley Lord remains optimistic about the team's competitiveness despite the technical setbacks. While teammate George Russell topped both sessions, Lord acknowledged the threat from rivals like McLaren and Red Bull. He emphasized that the gaps seen in practice are likely not representative of true qualifying pace, and expects a close battle as the weekend progresses.