The racing rivalry between Antonelli and Russell began instantly. Russell made a gradual begin from pole, Antonelli handed his team-mate, and McLaren’s Lando Norris swept by each Mercedes into the lead from third on the grid.
Norris, who had began the race on intermediate tyres, pitted on lap two, leaving Antonelli initially main a five-car practice of Russell, Hamilton’s Ferrari, Verstappen and the second Ferrari of Charles Leclerc.
Russell quickly started to use stress on Antonelli and the Briton took the lead on the remaining chicane on lap six, Antonelli being compelled to take evasive motion by means of the run-off space as they entered the nook facet by facet.
Russell appeared comparatively snug within the lead for a number of laps, till he locked up his entrance brakes into the hairpin on lap 12, permitting Antonelli to get move him – just for Russell to reclaim the lead into the ultimate nook.
Antonelli tried once more into the primary nook and needed to again off, however now Russell couldn’t shake off his team-mate.
4 laps later, Russell once more ran deep into the hairpin and so they went facet by facet into the ultimate chicane, just for Russell to carry on once more.
5 laps glided by earlier than Russell once more locked up on the hairpin and Antonelli handed for the lead down the straight in the direction of the ultimate chicane, solely to make his personal mistake on the hairpin two laps later and let Russell again into the lead.
Antonelli got here again at him on the surface into the chicane and was barely forward as they turned in, however he needed to take to the run-off space.
Returning to the race within the lead, Antonelli was ordered by the crew to provide the place again as a result of he had handed off the monitor.
Antonelli complained, saying: “Why? He pushed me off.” However he did what he was informed, earlier than making an attempt once more on the chicane, just for Russell to carry him off.
This was the purpose at which each drivers have been successfully informed to chill it by the crew, and the combat calmed down significantly earlier than Russell’s retirement.
