The party in Monza
Mercedes arrives in Madrid after the spectacular result in Monza, where the crowd went wild for the unexpected victory of Andrea Kimi Antonelli. Starting from the back, the world championship leader was the protagonist of a comeback that brought him up to George Russell’s slipstream in the final stages of the race, overtaking the Englishman a few laps from the end despite a mistake at the exit of the First Variante that cost him a few seconds: “Monza was one of our best weekends of the season, and an important result for everyone in Brixworth and Brackley – commented team principal Toto Wolff – the team worked excellently, the drivers delivered a great performance and we got the most out of our package. We can be satisfied, but it is a chapter now closed: as soon as we left Italy, we turned our attention to Madrid.”
Read more BYD, over 2.5 million exports in 2027
A new challenge
The outcome of the Brianza weekend, as memorable as it was after the victory of an Italian driver in Italy (which had been missing for 60 years) and the Brackley team’s one-two, is now part of history. In a few days, in fact, there will be a new challenge on the street circuit of Madring, never tackled before. Both Antonelli and Russell obviously did simulator sessions before arriving in the Spanish capital, all while Wolff found similarities with other tracks: “This weekend presents a completely different challenge – he added – the characteristics of the circuit are much more similar to tracks like Budapest or Zandvoort. We therefore expect a very competitive weekend. Our task is to understand the needs of the Madrid track as soon as possible and maximize performance from the first session. New circuits offer opportunities and uncertainties in equal measure.”
Read more Geely and Zeekr, so many new features at the Turin Motor Show
In conclusion, Wolff praised the commitment of the Spanish capital for its entry into F1: “Madrid is a city of global importance and racing there represents another significant step forward for our sport. The fact that an iconic capital like Madrid wants to join the calendar demonstrates the strength of our discipline and the momentum we continue to generate worldwide.”
