Kimi Antonelli revealed that he transforms into a different driver when he gets into the Formula 1 car. According to the Italian, lowering the visor is the moment when his competitive instinct takes control and he adopts a much more aggressive stance on the track.
Read more F1: Fewer GPs caused revenues to fall in the second quarter
In an interview with one of Mercedes’ sponsors, Antonelli explained that the behavior change happens as soon as he leaves the paddock environment and starts driving. “When I’m in the car, you kind of become a different person. When you close the visor, yes,” he said.
“It’s as if the killing instinct kicks in. When you lower the visor and go to the track, it’s just you, the car, and the circuit. You think about being the best there. No mercy, none of that. You just go for it,” he explained.
Read more F1: Albon explains how Williams tries to put out “small fires”
Despite the aggressive stance, Antonelli emphasized that being fast does not simply mean attacking in all situations. For the Mercedes driver, it is necessary to understand when it is worth taking risks and when it is better to preserve the result.
“I am becoming more and more like this as I grow. When I was a child, sometimes I was still too nice on the track. Until now, I am improving. There is still a lot of work to do. It is not just a matter of being aggressive; you also need to be smart when doing so. It is not simply attacking with full aggression and then seeing what happens. You still need to be smart and sometimes play it safe,” he concluded.
Read more Sainz says that Williams’ decline delayed the plan to return to winning in F1 by «1 or 2 years»
