After every Formula 1 race, driver Jeroen Bleekemolen shares his findings in an exclusive column for Formule1.nl. Who or what caught his attention, what went well, and what needs to change? This time: The Belgian GP with flawless performances once again from Kimi Antonelli and also Max Verstappen. Week after week, they show themselves to be by far the best drivers on the grid.
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It may be starting to get a bit monotonous, almost boring even, but that doesn’t make it any less remarkable. What Kimi Antonelli showed again this past weekend, at the Belgian GP, is actually incredible. He made no mistakes again. He had some setbacks in recent weeks, through no fault of his own, but under normal circumstances, he is unbeatable this season. You could see that in Spa as well. Every lap was just perfect. Every practice, everything was just right. During the race, he had a bit of bad luck with the timing of the virtual safety car, but even so, he simply drove to victory, his sixth of the season already.
I have written this in a previous column, with Antonelli we are actually seeing a kind of new Max Verstappen at work. Or a new Schumacher. Or a new Senna. I think he belongs to that category. So don’t get me wrong, Max is currently in a lesser car, but he is certainly not written off and still sets the tone as a driver. And since this season, he has been doing that together with Antonelli. Both are at an unprecedented level.
Antonelli has had some setbacks in the last races, but he just gets back in that car and delivers. He is still very young and you always have to see if such a young guy can keep everything together, mentally as well. But he is now in such a good flow. I really think he is someone who will simply have several world titles to his name in ten years.
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Weak points? I couldn’t name any. Week after week, everything is just good. And he is cool, also over the radio. Towards the team, towards the engineers. You don’t often see a driver where the whole picture fits. There is only one other driver on the grid who has the same. Indeed, Max. He has less material, but he also delivers and always maximizes. And beyond that, there is no one else who does that. Or can.
Take Charles Leclerc. He also drove a very good race in Spa, but he doesn’t do that weekly. He alternates good races with lesser ones. And the same goes for Hamilton, Russell, Norris, and the rest of the grid. The world championship battle? Although we are not yet halfway through the season, that title is simply going to Antonelli. No doubt about it.
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Read everything about the Belgian GP here
