Andrea Kimi Antonelli is the new world championship leader. The top of the ranking is not accidental, but the result of careful preparation work to familiarize oneself with the new way of driving in this new Formula 1almost unnatural. The Italian, however, acknowledges the fortuitous help of the Safety Car in Japan and expects Russell to return to form in Miami. The objective will be to find the same harmony with the W17 tested in Japan, such as to force Mercedes to curb the creativity of the Bolognese.
Antonelli’s race
The only flaw in the Italian’s weekend was the start, when incorrect clutch control led him to let his tires spin too much, losing positions. “I was very angry, but afterwards I was going fast and the pace was good”reflects Kimi together with the Italian press. “Obviously I was lucky with the Safety Car, but when we restarted I did what I had to do”. Regardless of the start, however, Antonelli has a lot to be satisfied with with his performance, the result of great confidence in the W17
“I’m happier with the sensations I had in the car, I felt it in my hands all weekend. I also felt very good in the race”. Perhaps too much so, given that the team warned the Bolognese not to exaggerate: “I wanted to push harder, but the team kept me on a leash. I understand a little, I didn’t want the same thing to happen to China again. However, I had a lot of fun in the car, we were in tune.”
The fruits of labor
One of the areas in which Kimi was superior to his teammate in Japan was energy management, adopting a driving style that allowed him to make better use of the battery on the straights. Antonelli says he worked hard in the winter to obtain these results: “The pre-season was much more intense than last year, I spent more days in England on the simulator, trying to understand the regulations. It’s not easy, because even if you try on the simulator, replicating the same things on the track is not easy. Sometimes you have to go against what your instinct tells you. The difference, for now, is the fact that you have done good preparation and that I tried to make unnatural things more naturalso that I can do them without having to try too hard.”
The first month of the championship went even beyond the Italian’s expectations: “I certainly didn’t imagine it, but it’s nice. In any case, I don’t want to pay too much attention to it, because the championship is still long and there are many races. George will surely return to the topso we will need to continue to raise the bar. It’s certainly a good situation. There are still many areas where we need to work, but we are on the right path for now.”
Look at Miami
A mistake that Antonelli does not want to make is to submit his opponents, starting with his boxing partner: “Obviously it was a weekend in which he struggled more than usual, but I’m sure that in Miami he will return to being at the top. This weekend was a setback for him, it certainly wasn’t easy. The one who benefited from the Safety Car was me. He was more unlucky, because he came in on the lap earlier. He certainly struggled, but he was equally fast.”
Furthermore, it would be premature to exclude external competition, Ferrari and McLaren above all, from the world championship games. Vasseur is convinced that a new championship will begin from Miami, but Antonelli places his trust in Mercedes: “I honestly don’t know what will happen in Miami. I just know that the team is working very effectively. There are no worries about the compression ratio, the team is calm. We are aware that the opponents will get closer, but at the same time we are already thinking about the next tracks and the developments to bring, so they are pushing hard. There is great serenity in the team and awareness of the potential, but the situation can change in a moment.”
