Updates for Kimi?
Andrea Kimi Antonelli will enjoy an unexpected break as World Championship leader, a scenario perhaps even more unpredictable for the Mercedes driver after George Russell had dominated the Melbourne weekend in Australia.
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In China and Japan, however, Antonelli achieved the first two victories of his F1 career, a double that took him to the top of the Drivers’ Championship with a nine-point lead over his teammate. Juan Pablo Montoya highlighted that at this moment Antonelli seems to have a clear advantage over Russell when the hard compound tires are fitted: “In China, I think Antonelli was very lucky, but he did a great job; in Japan, with or without a safety car, he would have won that race – the words of Montoya reached by Casinostugan – Antonelli was much more comfortable in the car with the harder tires compared to George. With the softer tires, the car is more forgiving. Once the harder tires are fitted, the car becomes more on the limit and a bit more difficult to drive. And I think that’s exactly where George struggles.”
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Montoya also suggested that Mercedes had brought an update to Japan that was perhaps better digested by Antonelli than by Russell: “It was said that Mercedes had a new rear suspension or something different in the rear of the car – Montoya added – what I wonder is: is it an update that goes towards Kimi’s driving style? Is Mercedes catering to his every request? In this sport, you can never satisfy all the drivers.”
