Antonelli Returns to Winning Ways: "Had to Give It My All"

Can Kimi Antonelli still be denied the championship title on the racetrack?

After his sixth win of the season, one can certainly ask this question, even though the last race weekends had been anything but good. However, the lack of success often resulted not from his driving skill, but from the fragility of his Mercedes racing machine.

When his Silver Arrow works, he has been too rarely vulnerable this season. In Spa too, he showed flashes of his class despite his youth and won, even though the race progression didn't play into his hands at all.

Strategized Correctly?

Yesterday, the teenager secured an unchallenged pole position. However, there are tracks on the Formula 1 racing calendar where the first starting spot is significantly more popular.

Especially with the current car configuration, it is advantageous to exit the Eau Rouge-Raidillon corner section in second place onto the Kemmel Straight. With the battery boost and the enormous slipstream effect, overtaking is easier than defending one's own position.

It almost seemed intentional when Antonelli let his competitor Verstappen pass him before the long straight, only to emerge at the end of it with a comfortable lead thanks to the slipstream.

"A Hard-Fought Victory"

His first pit stop was not optimally timed. The Virtual Safety Car was deployed due to debris on the track, and Antonelli pitted to save valuable time. But the moment he arrived in the pit lane, the VSC disappeared – the saving was gone.

Antonelli's talk of a "hard-fought victory" "because Charles was fast" is also only due to the fact that the Monegasque had more luck during his pit stop.

Leclerc encountered a similar scenario with the Virtual Safety Car. However, for him, the speed limit remained active throughout the entire stop. The time loss was therefore significantly less, and the Monegasque returned to the track just ahead of Antonelli.

Antonelli's comeback chase, with his overtaking maneuver on lap 34, seemed like "work by the book." In the last ten laps, he controlled the proceedings and gave Leclerc no real chance to pass him.

Antonelli Puts the Brakes on Euphoria

His sixth win of the season results in a solid 45-point championship lead. For Antonelli, there's no reason to get carried away: "We've seen that the situation can turn around very quickly."

The fear of further defects on his Mercedes therefore still remains.

Antonelli's lead is comfortable. However, it's only halfway through the season. The young star knows this too: "I just have to keep delivering, getting results, and see how things look at the end of the year."