A slipstream for Russell
Andrea Kimi Antonelli finished with a good third position in today’s FP2 at Monza. The result of the World Championship leader was particularly interesting especially because, with the certainty of starting from the last row in Sunday’s GP due to the power unit change, the Italian almost completely ‘neglected’ the work on the fast lap to focus on the race pace preparation. In qualifying, in fact, Antonelli could be called upon to play a supporting role precisely for teammate George Russell, who would naturally greatly benefit from the possible slipstream offered by the twin car.
“We will assess the situation and see what makes the most sense with the aim of still getting him a good lap in Q3 – said Mercedes deputy team principal Bradley Lord regarding the possibility of using Antonelli as a ‘hare’ for Russell in Q3 – but we will also work as a team to maximize George’s chances. I believe both are well aware that, just as we saw in Zandvoort, there is no reason to expect anything different during this weekend at Monza“. Translated from Mercedes’ ‘political speak’: we will ask Antonelli to return the favor Russell did for him in the Netherlands, giving up the second position without too many complaints.
Points target, dreaming of the podium
Regarding expectations for Sunday’s GP, Lord was told about the prediction made by Fernando Alonso, who considers it more than possible that Antonelli will reach the podium: “If Fernando’s forecast proves accurate and Kimi benefits from it, we will be really very happy – commented the English manager – I believe our main goal is to reach solid positions that allow him to score points. We saw George manage it in Hungary, after starting practically from the back [Russell had a problem at the start, ed.]. Despite the difficulty encountered at the start, he still managed to climb up the standings“.
Read more Toyota Highlander EV, is production delayed again?
“It is difficult to make precise predictions – Lord added – because you never know how the race will unfold and what will happen with the Virtual Safety Car and the Safety Car. In recent races we have seen that we have been a bit unlucky with the Virtual Safety Cars, so maybe it’s time for things to change and for something to play in our favor“, he concluded.
