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, warding 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.
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 pace that he is inside his consolation zone. He does not have to 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.
“He had every little thing 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
Picture by: Andrej Isakovic / AFP by way of Getty Photographs
“We have to get to a weekend the place we go, ‘Oh, he is lastly struggling,’ however it does not appear that we will discover one. We stated excessive grip, low grip, avenue course, every little thing, 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’ve got made the overtake, and Antonelli demonstrated his understanding of those vehicles. We noticed how highly effective Overtake [Mode] is when you’ve it over quite a few laps. So Charles Leclerc did very properly to remain inside that system of Antonelli on the entrance.
“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 season break.
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