Andrea Kimi Antonelli enters the history books as the youngest leader of the Formula 1 World Championship ever, but he himself does not yet dare to dream of a world title. According to the Mercedes driver, it is still much too early, and he expects that his teammate George Russell in particular will come back stronger after his ‘bad luck’ at Suzuka: “I know how strong George is and it will certainly be very difficult”.
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Andrea Kimi Antonelli took not only the second victory of his F1 career at Suzuka, but also a second consecutive win. The Mercedes driver thus became the first Italian driver since Alberto Ascari in 1953 to achieve this. His compatriots are therefore already cautiously daring to dream of a world title for the young Italian, but according to Kimi Antonelli, it is still much too early for that.
NOW ONLINE: 40 pages Race Special GP Japan: our online magazine with news, reactions, analysis and interview!
“I’m not thinking too much about the championship yet,” he said in the post-race press conference. “It’s great, of course, but there’s still a long way to go and we have to keep raising the bar. George is very fast and he will certainly return to his usual level.” In Japan, Russell expressed his frustration about the ‘bad luck’ he has faced in the last two Grands Prix, including the unfortunate timing of the safety car for him at Suzuka. “In addition, the competitors will eventually get closer. I think we have to keep our heads down and keep raising the bar.”
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No worries about internal battle with Russell
Should the season turn into a title battle between the Mercedes drivers, Kimi Antonelli is not afraid of any potential tension between himself and Russell. “To be honest, I’m not worried about that. I’ll just focus on myself,” says the brand-new Grand Prix winner. “I know how strong George is and it will certainly be very difficult. Moreover, I think Ferrari and McLaren will get closer, so it will be important to stay at the top, as I said before, and keep raising the bar. But I’m not focusing on that right now and I’m not worried about it either.”
NOW ONLINE: 40 pages Race Special GP Japan: our online magazine with news, reactions, analysis and interview!
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