Andrea Kimi Antonelli still leads the championship with 131 World Championship points. The young Italian made a significant impact with his victory at the Canadian GP, which followed a fierce battle in the opening phase of the race with teammate George Russell. Although the fight for the race lead was very close, Kimi Antonelli does not intend to change his ‘aggressive approach’ too much: ‘Racing in F1 is like being in a shark tank. It’s eat or be eaten’.
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George Russell and Andrea Kimi Antonelli provided the most spectacle with their fierce battle for victory in Canada. During both the sprint and the main race in Montreal, it almost went wrong a few times, as the young Italian went off track a few times. Due to Russell’s retirement, Kimi Antonelli ultimately came out on top.
According to Kimi Antonelli, it is only logical that the two Mercedes drivers are free to fight each other like this. “The team also wants us to be able to race freely, because they know very well that you can’t hold us back, especially in the position we are in now,” the Italian driver explained during the presentation of the Bandini Trophy in Brisighella. This is an Italian sports award given annually for the most commendable performance in motorsport.
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No second Silver War
Still, Kimi Antonelli understands that Mercedes also tries to avoid ‘unpleasant situations’. The comparison with the earlier internal title fight at the Silver Arrows, between Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg, has been made several times. “We don’t want to create a situation like the one between Lewis and Rosberg, where the atmosphere within the team was not optimal,” Antonelli continues. “Of course, we will race hard against each other, but we will try to be as fair as possible and avoid collisions or contact, because we also want the best for the team. We also want Mercedes to win. We will definitely fight each other, but in a fair way.”
For now, the Italian will not change his own tactics too much. “Racing in F1 is like being in a shark tank,” Kimi Antonelli says. “It’s eat or be eaten. You have to be aggressive, of course to the right degree. In Canada, I was perhaps a bit too aggressive. But it’s good that I am aggressive now, because at this moment I am racing to win, I am going for victories.”
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