Kimi Antonelli praises Mercedes for minimizing losses at the Hungarian Grand Prix

Championship leader Kimi Antonelli expressed satisfaction with the Mercedes team's results after finishing third at the Hungarian Grand Prix, managing to recover from a start penalty. This result allowed him to increase his advantage in the championship.

Race Results and Assessment

The 19-year-old Italian driver fought for a spot in the podium, despite receiving a start penalty in qualifying, which dropped him to seventh place due to a yellow flag infringement. Antonelli noted that this was a good outcome, calling it 'minimizing losses' after the previous day. He emphasized that the team should have been fighting for this position, as they generally faced some difficulties this weekend, and other teams like Ferrari and McLaren implemented updates, which was expected.

Championship Position

Thanks to this performance, Antonelli, who already has six wins this season, increased his gap to seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton of Ferrari by five points, bringing the deficit to 50 points, and to his teammate George Russell by 59 points.

Strategy and Future Outlook

Antonelli stated his hope that the second half of the season would be when Mercedes starts implementing its own improvements. The driver started from seventh place and advanced in a complex race where various tire strategies were used to finish behind World Champion Lando Norris of McLaren and four-time champion Max Verstappen of Red Bull. He highly praised the teamwork, noting that they had done tremendous work in the first half of the season.

Regarding the second half of the season, Antonelli warned that it would be very intense. He noted McLaren's significant progress, Ferrari's speed, and that Max should not be underestimated. He also added that George will definitely return to form, and they need to raise the bar to come back stronger.

George Russell's Comments

George Russell, for his part, stated that his 'terrible start' was beyond his control and became another obstacle this year. He expressed hope that the situation would calm down in the second half of the season and maintains a positive attitude despite the disappointments he experienced. Russell admitted that sometimes one has to accept that there are things outside of your control that can work against you.

Management Reaction and Hamilton

Team principal Toto Wolff acknowledged that 'we made a mistake again by ruining George's start. It is simply unacceptable and not good enough on our part.' Russell managed to recover from the poor start, when software stopped his engine, dropping him to 20th place, but he still finished seventh.

Lewis Hamilton remained optimistic about his chances of winning an record eighth world drivers' championship this year, despite receiving another penalty at the Hungarian Grand Prix. The seven-time Ferrari champion, who finished fifth although initially placed fourth, received a five-second penalty. He stated that he had to 'work hard not to give stewards more opportunities to issue me penalties.' Hamilton felt that the last pit stop taken by Ferrari during the late intervention of the virtual Safety Car was unnecessary and a team error. He noted that he might have lost positions to Max, but thought he could have maintained third place if not for this penalty.

iol.co.zaJuly 20, 17:50

After the Belgian Grand Prix: Ferrari Increases Pressure on Mercedes in Title Fight

Despite Mercedes appearing to be the undisputed leader, a detailed analysis shows that rivals from the Ferrari team have gained the necessary stability and reliability to compete for both championships after the summer break.

Belgian Grand Prix Results

During the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps, young talent Kimi Antonelli showed his worth, securing his sixth victory of the season and increasing his lead in the World Drivers' Championship. Meanwhile, George Russell retired in the opening minute of the race.

The season, approaching the middle of its 22nd round with the eleventh race in Hungary next week, demonstrates alternating mixed weekends for the 'Silver Arrows'. On Sunday, during the Belgian Grand Prix, Antonelli shone with his first win in four races, while George Russell encountered an accident on the first lap.

Problems in the Mercedes Team

Russell, who usually maintains a reserved demeanor and was a favorite for the championship pre-season, could not hide his dissatisfaction after retiring on the first lap. He collided with seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton of Ferrari. Russell explained his exit by stating that he lost all battery power on the Kemmel straight before colliding with Hamilton in Le Mans.

'I retired,' stated the 28-year-old Briton, who dropped from second place, falling behind teammate Antonelli by 25 points, to third, trailing by 50 points, as the Italian teenager secured his sixth win of the year. He added, to explain his anger: 'It was dangerous. Three cars surrounded me, and I shouldn't have been in such a position, so I am angry.'

Russell's season has been marked by power management issues in the new Formula 1 'hybrid era'. Team principal Toto Wolff stated that Russell's problems are related to team errors, not his driving style.

Antonelli's Rising Popularity

While Russell is experiencing difficulties, his 19-year-old teammate is thriving under the guidance of race engineer Peter 'Bono' Bonnington. Bonnington previously managed Hamilton and possesses extensive experience. His calming influence and professionalism helped the young Italian cope with the pressure of success, controlling his emotions and managing the complexities of battery deployment this season, allowing him to focus on his natural speed gift.

His pure talent, which grants him an innate feel for racing, has also played a significant role in his ambition to become the youngest F1 champion. He will turn 20 next month, and if he succeeds this year, he could be three years younger than Sebastian Vettel, who won his first title in 2010 at the age of 23.

Hamilton and Ferrari's Prospects

At 41, Hamilton has demonstrated that he remains a force that cannot be underestimated, managing to extract the maximum benefit from a challenging weekend. Despite colliding with Russell in FP3 qualifying, receiving a five-second penalty, and a dangerous pit lane run, he raced in a damaged Ferrari and finished fourth. This confirmed his determination to continue fighting for an eighth title, while the future of great former rival and four-time champion Max Verstappen remains uncertain.

Hamilton's contract contains a performance clause that could allow him to leave if the Red Bull team does not compete for the title by the end of July. However, there are no known attractive vacancies elsewhere, leading to speculation, denied by all parties, about a possible swap with McLaren for Oscar Piastri.

iol.co.zaJuly 17, 20:22

Kimi Antonelli sets fastest time for Mercedes in second practice session in Belgium

Kimi Antonelli, a driver for the Mercedes team, secured the fastest time in the second free practice session before the Belgian Grand Prix. He overtook defending champion Lando Norris of McLaren.

Practice Session Results

The 19-year-old Italian driver set the best lap time of 1 minute 45.944 seconds. This allowed him to pass Norris by 0.190 seconds. Max Verstappen, driving for Red Bull, finished third.

The four-time champion trailed the leader by 0.472 seconds after the team started using the traditional rear wing instead of the 'Macarena' wing, which was criticized and which Verstappen called dangerous. He had previously been involved in accidents at the Austrian and British Grands Prix but managed to return to action and post the best time in the first session on Friday.

Other Drivers' Positions

Seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton finished fourth for Ferrari, ahead of Isaac Hajar. Oscar Piastri from McLaren participated in the second Red Bull session, while Franco Colapinto took seventh place for Alpine.

George Russell placed eighth in the second Mercedes session, more than 1.2 seconds behind Antonelli. He was overtaken by Racing Bulls newcomer Arvid Lindblad and Liam Lawson, who dropped Charles Leclerc's position to eleventh in the second Ferrari session.

Session Interruptions and Dynamics

The practice session concluded after a lengthy stoppage due to a red flag when Pierre Gasly hit the barriers with his Alpine but remained unharmed. After light rain between sessions, Antonelli once again set the pace, posting 1:46.911, while Verstappen tried to close the gap to his time. A brief delay followed due to a red flag to clear gravel from the track.

After the session resumed, several drivers switched from soft tires to medium tires. Piastri rejoined the race after repairing his hydraulic system during qualifying simulation laps. Hajar quickly moved into first place on soft tires ahead of Verstappen, after which Antonelli regained the initiative, recording 1:45.944 and pulling away from his rivals by almost half a second.

End of Practice Day

Ferrari showed good results, as both drivers set the best times in the first and second parts of the lap. However, Hamilton finished third behind Verstappen and ahead of Hajar, trailing Antonelli by 0.747 seconds. Russell, who is 25 points behind his teammate in the title fight, attempted a lap on soft tires but was 1.285 seconds slower than the Italian flyer and finished sixth.

Like Russell, Piastri struggled to match his teammate, as Norris took second place with a time of 1:46.134, two tenths slower than the pace. The Australian driver, last year's winner, finished sixth, trailing by 0.982 seconds. With 15 minutes remaining, the session was suspended due to a red flag after Gasly lost control of his Alpine and hit the barriers at the Fangyi chicane. He was uninjured and exited the damaged car, which had lost its rear wing. The session was paused for 13 minutes, allowing the teams only two minutes of active action at the end of the session to complete the program and run several laps on the hilly grid.