Kimi Antonelli: McLaren has made a huge step forward

      In the final laps of the Dutch Grand Prix, the Mercedes team asked George Russell to let Kimi Antonelli pass for second place so that he could try to catch Lando Norris and challenge him. George reluctantly followed the team's orders and, after some difficulty, held onto third place against Lewis Hamilton's attacks. Kimi was unable to catch Norris but finished second, strengthening his lead in the personal standings. Kimi Antonelli (2nd): "It was a very intense race, and I managed to take the lead in the first stint. Everything was going well, but in the second stint, I didn't feel the car, which was sliding a lot in the corners. Lando eventually passed me, and after that, I knew I had no chance of getting ahead of him again. Then George acted like a team player, and I'm very happy that he finished third. Our team did an incredible job – we made significant progress, and it paid off today. I'm very pleased about this, but we can't let up because McLaren has made a huge leap forward. We need to keep going in the same spirit." George Russell (3rd): "The start was tough – I lost a position, and Lando and Kimi were very fast in the early laps, and closer to the finish, Lewis was incredibly quick. It was difficult to hold him off on worn tires. I'm glad to be on the podium because I could have finished much lower. Kimi was ahead of me the whole race, so he deserved to finish ahead. Of course, when you're leading a race, you want to fight for every position, but considering the pace and tire difference, he would have passed me anyway, so the decision was the right one. As I said, I'm just happy to be on the podium – I haven't been there in a while. Overall, it was a strong weekend, and I'll remember the positive moments."