Andrea Kimi Antonelli took his eighth win of the season at the brand new Madring circuit. The Italian is well on his way to his very first world title, foreign media conclude, after a ‘sleep-inducing affair’ in the Spanish capital Madrid: “Even if he doesn’t deserve it, Kimi Antonelli wins, and that increasingly seems like the luck of a champion.”
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“When two dogs fight for a bone, the third one takes it,” opens the German BILD. The outlet refers to the battle between Max Verstappen and Lando Norris for second place in the final phase, while Andrea Kimi Antonelli pulls further ahead at the front of the field. “For the Italian, it is already the eighth victory of the season and the next milestone in the fight for the Formula 1 title.”
Furthermore, the reporter mainly focuses on the clash between Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton in the opening corners. The Dutchman even has to go off track to avoid the Brit. “Verstappen ultimately crosses the finish line second – and that with a hefty dose of anger in his belly!”, according to BILD.
‘Even if he doesn’t deserve it, Kimi Antonelli wins’
In France, the focus is mainly on Kimi Antonelli’s victory, his eighth of the season. “Even if he doesn’t deserve it, Kimi Antonelli wins, and that increasingly seems like the luck of a champion,” writes L’Équipe. “Kimi Antonelli has, despite his mistakes, once again won a race thanks to the help of a virtual safety car, which took away a victory from Lando Norris that was within reach. Fate is clearly on his side.”
However, the French outlet immediately warns that the young Italian’s success could backfire on him. “In the end, he will get on our nerves, even though he is so likeable,” the reporter continues. “Eventually, we will turn our backs on him because Antonelli is really too perfect. Kimi is a bit like the new ideal son-in-law, the role model that George Russell, his teammate who has only managed to become unpopular among his fellow drivers, would like to be. Yes, Antonelli does everything very well. Racing, we already knew that. Having fun, we have seen for a while. Winning, we thought it would take time to do that well.”
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In Spain itself, they are already daring to make a prediction for the rest of the season. “The party of the future world champion,” headlines AS about their home race. “That the first win is in the hands of a 19-year-old driver promises a hopeful future. There are still issues to be resolved, such as finding more overtaking opportunities or shortening the pit lane, but overall it can be said that the event as such has proven to be a success,” the Spanish newspaper is positive about the first race at the Madring.
‘King Antonelli the First, emperor of the Madring’
Of course, the euphoria in the home country of winner Kimi Antonelli is also great. “King Antonelli the First, emperor of Madring,” begins La Gazzetta dello Sport even. Also, The Guardian thinks the championship trophy will be for the Italian at the end of the season. “The seemingly unstoppable rise of Kimi Antonelli to his first Formula 1 world championship continued at an accelerated pace, as the young Italian with his victory in the Spanish Grand Prix also proved to have luck on his side,” writes the British outlet, which further described the race as a ‘sleep-inducing affair in the sun’. “After the first lap, fewer than ten overtaking maneuvers took place, a remarkable event in the season in which ‘yo-yo racing’ was introduced”.
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