– The battle for the Formula 1 World Championship title intensifies further after the summer break. Although Kimi Antonelli leads the overall standings, the championship leader faces strengthened competition. Despite the widespread assessment in the paddock that the title can only be won by him with the current lead, the youngster remains unimpressed.
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“No, I don’t feel any additional pressure,” Antonelli clarifies. Nevertheless, the recent mistakes in qualifying at Zandvoort serve as a timely warning before the decisive phase: “This weekend was a very good wake-up call that you must never neglect your defense,” he emphasizes.
“I made a mistake yesterday and a mistake today in Q3. So it’s not that I’m driving more tense, but it’s about putting things back in the right place at the right time and delivering when it counts,” says the Italian.
The pursuers smell their chance in the packed remaining schedule. Since more points will be awarded from now until the season finale than in the entire previous season, George Russell is by no means defeated. “It turns so extremely fast. We already saw it at the beginning of the season,” Russell analyzes the standings situation.
“At one point I was almost 70 points behind, got close to 25, went back up to 60. There is a constant up and down, and it is far from over.”
For the Mercedes driver, the development race also plays a key role, as “no one should be written off”: “We have these upgrades coming and have to hope they work. It only takes one single problem with an upgrade – and before you know it, you are no longer fighting at the front week after week.”
Norris still believes in his chance
Lando Norris, who also knows the role of pursuer from last season, strikes an optimistic tone but refuses to look at projections. “It makes no sense to think about it,” he waves off his 90-point deficit in the championship.
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“It’s exactly as George says: Just focus on tomorrow,” Norris explains, adding with a smile: “Of course, I hope both Mercedes get a double disqualification in Vegas, like we did back then, and decide not to come in for a free pit stop in Qatar. As long as they make the same mistakes, it will probably be just as easy!”
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Ultimately, belief in one’s own strength prevails: “We are still trying to catch up in certain things, but I am getting everything out at the moment. I am optimistic, I still believe it is possible,” says the McLaren driver.
Russell: Adjustment took time
For Russell, the final sprint of the season is not just about points but also about breaking free from a sometimes difficult phase. An adjustment of his driving style to the car, which he had copied from his teammate, took time.
“Kimi is doing a fantastic job this season. It really works well for him with this car and these tires. I just tried to incorporate something similar,” Russell reveals and draws a comparison: “When you change your golf swing, you probably take half a step back before you make progress.”
“The summer break allowed me to store these insights in the back of my mind to now drive more freely.”
Despite the improvement in form, Russell is cautious about premature success reports and points to the uncertainties of the past year. “I will not go home after this weekend and claim that all problems are solved,” the Brit clarifies.
“In Silverstone and Spa we had the problem with the power unit, Budapest was simply not competitive on my part. It just hasn’t been a clean run this season. But after the break, I feel much more relaxed. The pressure is gone, I go out and enjoy it. There is nothing to lose for me, only to gain.”
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