Mercedes boss Simone Resta already warns drivers about the Silver Arrows Andrea Kimi Antonelli and George Russell. According to the technical director, more ‘intense battles’ for the world titles will follow this season and a championship after the summer break ‘always takes a different turn’. “The pressure increases and then you really see the strength and resilience of a racing team,” explains Resta.
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With eight of the eleven Grands Prix won, Mercedes could hardly have started the summer break of this season better. The Silver Arrows are currently leading in both championships, with a difference of 56 WDC points between leader Andrea Kimi Antonelli and third place George Russell. Lewis Hamilton splits the two teammates, with a fifty-point deficit to the young Italian, and currently poses the biggest threat.
‘Championship always takes a different turn after the summer break’
Technical director at Mercedes, Simone Resta, therefore expects more ‘intense battles’ for the Silver Arrows after the summer break than in the first half of the season. “History teaches us that the championship always takes a different turn after the summer break,” the boss says in the Nu Silver Arrows Radio Show. “The pressure increases for the teams leading, but also for the teams trying to catch up. The atmosphere becomes more intense and every result carries more weight. Then you really see the strength and resilience of a racing team.”
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According to Resta, under that pressure the championship is either won or lost by a team. “It is the moment when racing teams show whether they can handle the pressure and keep performing when more and more is at stake,” he continues. “I am very curious to see how that phase of the season will unfold.” Mercedes’ closest challenger in the constructors’ championship is currently also Ferrari. The Scuderia is 72 points behind the current championship leader.
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