Jacques Villeneuve warns Kimi Antonelli not to become overconfident. The young Italian won his fourth consecutive race during the Canadian GP and extended his lead in the World Championship standings – partly due to the retirement of teammate George Russell. The season is still long, but for now, the 19-year-old driver is on course for his first Formula 1 world title. “As long as he doesn’t think he is untouchable,” said Villeneuve.
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During the Canadian GP, Antonelli again extended his lead over Russell by 25 points. The difference between the two is already 43 points after five races. Before the season, the Englishman was considered the big favorite for the title, but with four wins in a row, the Italian teenager is breaking records and increasingly pulling the internal title fight towards himself. However, Antonelli is not unstoppable, warns Villeneuve. The former world champion explains where he believes the danger lies for the very young championship leader.
‘That reaction will be crucial’
“He needs to keep a cool head and not believe too much in his own success,” Villeneuve said in an analysis for F1TV. “That is very dangerous. As soon as you think you are untouchable, you start making mistakes. Then you retire, like Russell did today, or you crash and suddenly lose 25 points. Then the gap suddenly becomes small again and you start doubting yourself. That is the big risk.”
“At the moment, he is driving every lap on the edge and we all think: ‘Wow, he’s still keeping that car on the track.’ But that won’t go well forever. The question is how he reacts when something goes wrong at some point. That reaction will be crucial.” Nevertheless, Villeneuve sees that Antonelli currently has the upper hand within Mercedes. “He is now faster than George (Russell, ed.); he has him in his grip. For Mercedes, it is important that George gets a wake-up call and starts believing in himself again.”
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Russell stated after his retirement that bad luck has mainly played a role in the past races. “It feels like someone is working against me,” he responded dazed. “As if I’m not allowed to get involved in this title fight.” Although the season is still young, Villeneuve thinks Antonelli has now set his sights on the world title. The young Italian is grateful and modest but also realizes that the championship is beckoning. “A season is still a rollercoaster,” the Canadian added as a caveat. “There will be a period when everything goes well, and then suddenly something goes wrong. In a few races, you can suddenly go beyond your limits. That is the danger. Then people immediately start thinking: ‘Oh, he’s not going to make it after all.’ We will see how he deals with that,” he concluded.
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