From defense to attack
Andrea Kimi Antonelli in the Hungarian GP did what great champions do: he took a negative weekend, where he had to play ‘on the defensive’ against Ferrari and Lewis Hamilton, and transformed it – by taking advantage of the opportunities that presented themselves – into a perfect occasion to turn the tables and further extend his lead in the standings. And while the Ferrari pit wall made every strategic mistake imaginable, he and Mercedes remained clear-headed, starting with the idea – which was not then realized – of hypothesizing a single pit stop.
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Wise choice
“Did the team stop me? Yes, let’s say they were worried about the tires because I had already done a very long stint and we were afraid there might be a structural failure, also because honestly, I was starting to see the canvas myself from inside the cockpit – Antonelli revealed to Sky Sport F1 – and I still had 17 laps to go. So I wasn’t sure [about not stopping] either, but I felt good at that moment. I must say it was a good result and good teamwork because today we still limited the damage“.
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Analyzing the race of his opponents, Antonelli applauded the progress made by the Budapest winners, the McLaren team: “Let’s say that McLaren, in particular, made a step forward this weekend – observed the World Championship leader – we expected it because on a track like this, where degradation is high and you slide a lot, having a little more grip always helps. Anyway, we are all there and this weekend we struggled more than usual, but now the team will certainly work hard to improve the car and come back stronger.” Meanwhile, his advantage in the standings has increased.
