Former System 1 driver Juan Pablo Montoya believes championship chief Kimi Antonelli is working completely inside his “consolation zone”, questioning who can realistically problem the Mercedes teenager following his commanding Belgian Grand Prix win.
Antonelli secured his sixth profession win at Spa-Francorchamps, keeping off Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc. The victory has given the Italian a 45-point lead over second-placed Lewis Hamilton within the drivers’ championship and a 50-point benefit over his Mercedes team-mate George Russell in third.
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Talking on the F1 TV post-race broadcast, Montoya mentioned Antonelli’s ongoing dominant marketing campaign.
“He is on it, however he has a lot management,” Montoya stated. “He has a lot velocity that he is inside his consolation zone. He would not must get out of his consolation zone to get the lap time. And who’s going to cease him? I do not know.”
After successful 5 consecutive grands prix in China, Japan, Miami, Canada and Monaco, Antonelli retired from the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix, completed third in Austria and fifteenth in Britain.
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“He had the whole lot going towards him the previous couple of weeks, even being the quickest man each week,” Montoya added. “And once more, high factors, on pole, dominated all weekend.
Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes
Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes
“We have to get to a weekend the place we go, ‘Oh, he is lastly struggling,’ nevertheless it would not appear that we’ll discover one. We stated excessive grip, low grip, road course, the whole lot, and he is at all times there.”
Fellow F1 TV pundit Alex Brundle echoed Montoya’s sentiments, noting: “The really spectacular factor for me is definitely as soon as you have made the overtake, and Antonelli demonstrated his understanding of those vehicles. We noticed how highly effective Overtake [Mode] is when you’ve it over a variety of laps. So Charles Leclerc did very effectively to remain inside that system of Antonelli on the entrance.
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“However nonetheless, Antonelli may grind out sufficient of a bonus to mainly take himself out of that system.”
He added: “The administration of the race from Antonelli when he is racing wheel-to-wheel like that was actually good.”
The Hungarian Grand Prix, which takes place from 24-26 July, is the ultimate spherical earlier than the summer time break.
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