Kimi Antonelli fought a thrilling duel with George Russell during the Canadian GP. The young championship leader made several excursions onto the grass but managed to keep his Mercedes out of the wall. Due to his teammate’s retirement, he ultimately drove relatively easily to his fourth consecutive victory. Afterwards, Antonelli explained that he was not yet satisfied with his own performance, although he did drive ‘much calmer’ than in previous races.
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“It was a great battle with George (Russell, ed.)”, Antonelli beamed after the Grand Prix to Autoracer.it. “We were really on the limit and the wind made it even more difficult – especially in turn ten we were on the edge. It was an exciting race and it’s a shame Russell retired, because it really promised to be a great fight for the win. But of course I’m still happy with the victory; another win in the pocket.” Antonelli won his very first Grand Prix this year in Shanghai and has since consistently crossed the finish line first.
‘I stayed calmer’
Despite his age, the Italian teenager tries to act maturely. “George was extremely fast this weekend,” he admitted. “We were neck and neck and Ferrari, Red Bull, and McLaren are certainly coming back stronger. We have to keep pushing and be prepared for everything.” He also felt that he made too many mistakes in Montreal, especially compared to the previous race in Miami. “Then I drove very differently; here I still made too many mistakes. Honestly, it doesn’t feel like I drove a great race. At least not like in Miami.”
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Antonelli is especially not satisfied with his reactions in the duel with Russell. “I have to work on that. Today I stayed calmer, despite a few incidents where it almost went wrong. I waited and tried to force him into mistakes, but in the end I made them myself too. Ultimately it worked out and now we can focus on Monaco.” The F1 circus travels to the principality in the first weekend of June. In recent years, Mercedes has not been very strong on the historic street circuit, but McLaren’s inconsistent form and Ferrari’s lack of pace may offer opportunities.
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