Immediate revenge
Not even time to enjoy the victory just won at Spa, in the University of F1, that for Kimi Antonelli it is already time to think about the next appointment, next weekend in Budapest for the Hungarian GP. At the end of the Belgian race, also considering the excellent performance shown by Ferrari on a track that on paper was not ideal for the characteristics of the SF-26, the opinion of many is that the reds could present themselves as favorites on Hungarian soil. The tight and twisty layout of the Hungarian track in fact seems made to highlight the strengths of the Maranello car and minimize the defects related to the power of the power unit.
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Speaking at a press conference with journalists present at Spa, however, Antonelli showed confidence and optimism looking ahead to next Sunday’s race. Mercedes, according to him, will continue to be in the game even without being able to benefit from very long straights to unleash all its horsepower.
Antonelli’s confidence
“I expect all four leading teams to be very close because, obviously, there are no battery problems there – observed the World Championship leader – the use of power will be very balanced, so it will be another circuit where perhaps the situation will be a bit more similar to Monaco, where you simply try to drive as fast as possible. It will be interesting. I think the fight among all of us will be very tight and that is why it will be important to try to put all the elements together“.
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Mercedes, moreover, does not feel so inferior to Ferrari in the sections richest in curves, as Antonelli himself explained analyzing what happened at Spa: “Here in Belgium the Ferraris also did well in free practice. Their long run did not seem bad at all, so we knew they would be competitive. In the race we only had confirmation that they were there and they were very strong in corners 12 and 13 compared to us. There we struggled a bit with the rear, but on the other hand we were very strong in low-speed corners. That’s why it wasn’t easy, especially keeping up in Sector 2. But we definitely expected them to be fast“.
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