Antonelli: “Of course we are no longer the fastest car on the grid, but I trust the team”
Andrea Kimi Antonellileader of the World Championship Formula 1expanded his distance in the table yesterday Sunday by finishing second in the Dutch Grand Prix to george Russel (3rd) and Lewis hamilton (4th). He Italian crossed the finish line behind Lando Norris (McLaren)who achieved their second consecutive victory after that of Hungaroring.
The number 12, which achieved five consecutive victories since China to Monacofeels that his machinery right now is inferior to that of the current champion and Oscar Piastri. He even claims that, possibly, mercedes It is not even one of the two best cars.
“Of course we are no longer the fastest car on the grid“, declared Antonelli during the press conference of the FIA after the Grand Prix. “We’ll probably be second or third.at least in the race (yesterday Sunday), and McLaren has taken a big step forward, especially since Hungarywith the great package of improvements they brought”.
The pilot of BolognaHowever, he has complete confidence in the team german. “But I trust the team. As you know, he team has been working hard on this new packageand they want to make sure it works perfectly once we implement it.”
Regarding the race itself, Kimi noted the following: “It was very strange because I felt good on the medium tires. “I felt decent with the first hard ones, but with the second ones the feeling was very strange, very strange to drive, and I was skidding a lot.”
“I need to see why it was like this, but without a doubt It is something that we must analyze because the drop in pace was quite significant” he continued. “I mean, I think on the first stint I almost matched my pace with the second hard ones, so I definitely need to investigate why that was the case. But yes, I’m happy with second place today.”
“The truth is that It was a difficult second half for me.especially in the last stint with the hard tires, where it really cost me,” Antonelli insisted. “I had little confidence in the car and, yes, it was not easy. And then obviously we went into the pits, and that was a little tricky too.”
“I also have to thank George because he made things a lot easier for me.. Still, I think I probably could have stayed on track until the end with the same set of tires because it put us at risk a little bit. Besides, I feel like we put George at risk by having to let me through. and all that.
I feel like we put George at risk by having to let me through.
F1 driver
Antonelli, however, values the team’s work. “But I still think that, at the end of the day, It was a great team performance given the circumstances.and I think that today second place was the most we could have achieved because the pace of the McLarens, especially in the second half, was too strong.
