The victory in Shanghai changed Andrea Kimi Antonelli’s life in many aspects. The explosion of its popularity in Italy, for example, highlighted how not everyone is able to rejoice in his successes, giving priority instead to Ferrarthe. George Russell’s communication approach has also changed, but according to the Italian, the relationship with his teammate is still the same. In Suzuka Kimi will try to score his second success, in a very complex weekend in terms of energy management.
The effect of victory
“I think the win broke the ice a bit, for sure”, comments Antonelli together with the Italian press, included FormulaPassion. “It has strengthened my awareness a bit of my potential and what can be achieved. On the one hand it has lifted a burden off me, because I still don’t have that much to prove in terms of what I can do, but I know that everyone’s expectations are high. I will try to undertake this weekend as I have done with the otherswithout putting additional pressure on me. It’s a weekend like any other. The objective is identical and you have to do the same, drive well, follow the procedures and everything. It’s not that the results come by themselves now: we still have to continue to work hard.”
“The first win makes you a little more confident in yourself”, continues Kimi. “You know you can do it, but at the same time you understand how much work is needed and how much you have to be on top of your game every weekend to be able to achieve the same result. Now, having won the first race, it won’t be easier to repeat myself here in Suzuka. I will probably be able to drive the car better and with more serenitybut the work behind it will be the same, if not more. Getting there is one thing, staying there is another and it’s the most difficult.” The victory changed Antonelli’s perception of his own abilities, but the approach remains the same. “There is still a lot to work on, to improve, but in any case I feel that the potential is very high. However, there is still a long way to go before reaching that point where we can make the most of it.”
The derbies with Ferrari and Russell
The success achieved in China has also given rise to a sort of derby among the Italian fans, between those who manage to rejoice in Antonelli’s achievements and the Ferrari fans who, instead, only have eyes for the Cavallino: “It’s like this and I believe there will always be people who prefer to support Ferrari and others who, instead, support me a lot. It’s part of the game and I live it calmly”, comments Kimi. “In the end, it’s nice to have a lot of people supporting you, because if you can enjoy this and use it to your advantage, it also gives you more energy when you get on the track.”
“There will always be people who love you and others who don’t like you a bit, which is why I’m calm.” The fear was that unpleasant comments could circulate on social media, but the Bolognese, unfortunately, learned not to give it any weight after the threats he received from Verstappen’s supporters in December: “Last year I lived the Qatar experience and I think it’s difficult to be worse than that.”
The other derby is the internal one at Mercedes with George Russell, who, according to Antonelli, has not changed his attitude towards the blue: “The behaviors are still the same. In the end, his statements have only changed a little, but he is behaving in the same way towards me. I think we’ll see better in a few races how the situation will evolve. In any case, there is a nice dynamic in the team. George and I respect each other a lot and when we go on the track we want to beat each other, but at the same time we also want the team to win and for Mercedes to win the constructors’ championship again.”
Russell’s teachings
For Antonelli, George Russell is not only the first opponent, but also a reference to look to to become an increasingly complete driver: “One thing I learned a lot from him last year is his way of approaching race weekends. He progressed session after session and got closer and closer to the limit. This is something I’ve been working on a lot this year. It’s not easy, because as a driver you try to go on the track and immediately find the limit, but obviously you can’t reveal your cards straight away, you prefer to keep them for when you need them. Especially when there are three sessions [di prove]you want to keep a little margin to use when needed”.
Kimi continues: “Even in qualifying, there are areas where lap after lap he pushes more and others where he doesn’t, because he already knows that the gain would be too small given too great a risk. He pushes in those points where there is more margin for error and where, if he manages to do everything correctly, the gain is very large. This is very interesting on his part. With experience, in qualifying he always manages to improve lap after lap and for me in China it was the first time I was able to do that. It’s not easy, especially understanding where you need to push harder and where there’s no need.”
Towards Suzuka
Antonelli’s attention is now entirely on the upcoming Japanese Grand Prix: “This is an incredible track, old-fashioned and very beautiful, but it is among the toughest in terms of battery, because it has so many fast corners and little braking, it will not be easy. Furthermore, the FIA has made some changes for this weekend and we will see what effect they have on the track. I don’t think anyone has managed to try them on the simulatoras these are changes introduced perhaps a few days ago. It will be something interesting to see.”
One of the hot topics at the moment is finding a way to allow you to push hard in qualifying: “I believe there was a meeting with the teams, but not with the drivers. In China we held meetings regarding qualificationbecause doing lift and coast even in that context is not the best, both for those who see and for those who drive. Sometimes it’s also counterintuitive, because in qualifying you try to go as fast as possible and then they tell you to do lift and coast to maximize battery use.”
“Certainly the FIA is trying to improve this aspect to ensure that there are less slowdowns and that we can push to the maximum, without having to worry about the battery or something else. Little by little they are trying to find a solution. SIt is certainly a very delicate topic on which we must not rush the solution, because we would risk making it even worse. Now, let’s slowly evaluate whether this change is an improvement and we will see in the future.” concludes Kimi.
