Russell refuses to give up on title despite Antonelli's huge lead

George Russell has made clear he intends to pursue the Formula One world championship for as long as it remains mathematically possible, despite trailing his Mercedes teammate Kimi Antonelli by a substantial margin with the season entering its closing stages.

The Briton backed up his words with pace on Friday, setting the fastest time in practice ahead of this weekend's Azerbaijan Grand Prix in Baku.

"I want to try and win every single race. That's my goal", Russell said, according to Guardian Formula One, as he set out his approach to the remainder of the campaign.

The scale of the task facing him is considerable. Russell goes into the Baku weekend 81 points adrift of Antonelli in the drivers' standings.

Antonelli has enjoyed a formidable run of form, with eight victories to his name this season, including his last two races in succession.

The Italian's most recent win came in Madrid, following an eye-catching result in Monza where he took the chequered flag having started the race from 19th on the grid.

That sequence has established Antonelli as the dominant force within the Mercedes garage this year and left Russell needing a significant swing in results to keep the title fight alive in any meaningful sense.

The Azerbaijan Grand Prix itself carries an unusual scheduling quirk this year, with the race taking place on Saturday rather than the customary Sunday slot, a change made to avoid a clash with Azerbaijan's national remembrance day.

Russell's fastest time in opening practice offers an encouraging early sign for his weekend, though practice pace does not settle qualifying or race outcomes, and the gap in the championship remains the more pressing context around his campaign.

With Antonelli's advantage as large as it is, Russell's public insistence on fighting for every win is as much a statement of intent for how he wants to finish the season as it is a realistic championship strategy at this stage.

Attention in Baku now turns to qualifying and Saturday's race itself, where Russell will look to convert his practice form into a result that keeps some pressure on his teammate, even as the title picture continues to tilt firmly in Antonelli's favour.