Kimi Antonelli says Mercedes has given him and his team-mate George Russell the liberty to race, however insists that the pair won’t permit their intra-team battle to grow to be a repeat of the notorious Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg rivalry.
The Italian driver spoke throughout a media convention in Brisighella as he collected the distinguished Lorenzo Bandini Trophy. Established in 1992 in honour of the late Ferrari driver who tragically handed away following a crash on the 1967 Monaco Grand Prix, the award is to acknowledge those that have had “a commendable efficiency in motorsport”.
Addressing the present dynamic throughout the Brackley outfit, the 19-year-old revealed that administration trusts the duo to combat on monitor with out strict group orders.
“The group desires us to race freely, as a result of they know very properly, particularly within the place that we at the moment are, you can not put the leash on us,” he mentioned in the course of the press convention.
“However in addition they wish to guarantee that there’s not an disagreeable scenario. In the event that they really feel prefer it, within the subsequent few races, they may inform us to race a bit simpler. In the meanwhile, they’re letting us race free as a result of they belief us as properly.
“We do not wish to recreate a surroundings like Lewis [Hamilton] and [Nico] Rosberg, the place internally within the group was not the perfect.
“After all, we’ll race one another arduous, however we’ll attempt to be as honest as attainable, avoiding any crashes or contacts as a result of we wish the perfect as properly for the group.
George Russell, Mercedes, Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes
Photograph by: Simon Galloway / LAT Photos by way of Getty Photos
“We would like Mercedes to win, as properly. We’re gonna go at one another, for positive, however in a good method.”
This follows a tense Canadian Grand Prix weekend through which the battle between Antonelli and Russell intensified. Antonelli’s frustrations boiled over in the course of the dash race as he accused his team-mate of pushing him off the monitor, however after conversations behind closed doorways, they returned to shut and thrilling racing within the grand prix till Russell was compelled to retire with battery points.
“[Racing in F1] it is like being in a shark tank. You both eat otherwise you’re eaten. It’s a must to be aggressive, clearly, in the appropriate dose. In Canada I used to be aggressive, possibly a little bit an excessive amount of. If the same scenario occurs once more, we’ll need to be extra clear-headed,” Antonelli continued.
“However it’s proper for me to be aggressive now, as a result of proper now, I am racing to win, I am enjoying for victories. It is nonetheless early to speak concerning the championship, however I am proper up there within the standings. It is a kind of alternatives that does not come alongside each day, so that you wish to profit from it.”
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