Kimi Antonelli ended the first half of the Formula 1 season in a position that few expected and now aims to keep improving when the championship returns in Zandvoort at the end of August. The young Mercedes driver stated that he intends to continue “learning” and building on the strong campaign so far.
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The performance in the first 11 rounds of the season explains the moment the driver is experiencing. With six wins and nine podiums accumulated, Antonelli opened a lead equivalent to two races over his main championship rival, Lewis Hamilton.
The Ferrari driver currently appears 50 points behind the leader, while George Russell, Antonelli’s Mercedes teammate, occupies third place with nine points behind Hamilton. Russell, who suffered problems at the start of the year, also faced a drop in performance considered inexplicable with the W17 sister car.
Asked about his surprising position in the world title fight, Antonelli admitted that he did not imagine being in such a favorable situation this season: “Well, certainly, I did not expect to be in this position,” the Italian told the press during an analysis of the first half of the championship.
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The driver also highlighted the work done by Mercedes and emphasized the importance of taking advantage of every opportunity during races. “But the car has been extremely good, the team has done an incredible job and, on my side, I try to maximize every opportunity I have.”
Despite the lead built and the six Grand Prix wins, Antonelli emphasized that he does not consider the mission accomplished. The championship leader believes there is still room for personal and collective improvement to keep Mercedes ahead of the competitors. “Of course, there is still a lot of work to do, a lot to learn, but it was a good first half of the season,” he said.
Looking ahead to the rest of the calendar, the Italian driver highlighted the motivation to keep pushing in the second half of the year: “Now I’m looking forward to the second half, and we will keep pushing.”
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