Andrea Kimi Antonelli breathes a sigh of relief after the pole achieved in Suzuka, after having feared that the euphoria of the first victory could distract him. The Italian gains even more self-confidence after beating his teammate, this time free from technical problems. Antonelli and Russell will compete for first position in the race towards Turn 1, but Mercedes has already warned its drivers not to be reckless.
Mercedes’ recommendation
Antonelli reflects on the meaning of the second career pole together with the Italian press: “This pole for me is better than the otherbecause anyway [a Shanghai] George had had problems, even though I had had some with the wing, which was why the ride was still good. It’s nice to be back on pole after China. It was important, because after the race I won I was a bit afraid, I absolutely didn’t want to let my guard down. I knew it would be a snap to get carried away in the moment and lose focus. I’m glad I was able to keep it on what I needed to do. Now let’s think about tomorrow.”
Suzuka immediately becomes an important race, putting the lead in the world rankings up for grabs on the eve of the month’s break. A lot will be played out in the standing sprint: “First of all we will have to see what the starting point will be like, but the team has already told us to stay calm and not cause troublebecause anyway we are first and second again. It will be important to score important points, both for us and for the team.”
The comparison with Russell
The race for Antonelli starts with excellent premises, having found good harmony with the W17: “I felt good in the car. I managed to maximize the grip, but also the batterywith which, for example, George had a little more difficulty.” The Italian believes there was room to set an even better time: “It was a clean and calm lap, with each attempt I pushed harder. On the last lap I was a tenth down, then I stalled in turn 11 and lost everything. Too bad about that.”
The Italian’s maturity also emerges from the coldness with which he analyzes the areas in which his teammate is still superior, despite having beaten him in qualifying: “I could have done a little better in the first sector in the fast corners, I could have pushed a little more. For the rest, however, I believe that this qualifying went better than the others, because I managed to improve lap after lap. However, there is still work to be done, because George still has a bit of a difference in fast corners compared to me. It’s not a big effect, not much, but still a little bit ago.”
The challenge of energy management
Overall, Antonelli is also growing in energy management, an area in which after China he recognized he was behind Russell: “It’s very difficult to get everything to fit together properly, between how much to push in corners and how to manage the battery. In my lap I gained a tenth on the straights compared to him [Russell]but it was also because of the driving style, which is a little different.” Furthermore, the blue Mercedes driver manages to curb his exuberance, accepting the counterintuitive nature of this Formula 1, in which paradoxically pushing harder is counterproductive.
“It’s not the best, because at certain points you would like to go faster, but then you would be penalized on the straights”, explains Kimi. “Sometimes you would like to go for gas first, but it doesn’t pay. Indeed, especially if you have a bit of wheel spin, it penalizes you, which is why it is not easy to be able to maximize the result. This qualification went, I managed to do a better job, but for example in Melbourne I was penalized. It went well for me here, but I have to say Anyway the lap was fun, because you pushed yourself in the corners.”
Watch out for McLaren
A possible victory in the race would give Antonelli the lead in the constructors’ championship. For the Italian, however, it is too early to say that the world championship will be a private matter between the two Mercedes drivers: “My teammate is certainly my main rival, because he is the only one who has the same car as mine. Now we are in a phase where we have an advantage over the others, so he is my closest rival. This does not call into question the fact that the others can get significantly closer. We must remain on our guard, because for now it is me and my partner, but McLaren, for example, is still using the Barcelona aerodynamic package. I imagine the next one they bring will be an important step. We must be on our guard. The others are behind, but the situation changes in a moment.”
