The sun has now set, but Andrea Kimi Antonelli still has teary eyes and is all soaked in sparkling wine. The Italian cannot contain his emotion after a Sunday he will remember for the rest of his life, the one in which he wrote his name in the hall of winners of a Formula 1 Grand Prix. His is a victory that increases awareness of his own means, at the dawn of a season that sees him driving the favorite car for the title, as he confided to the Italian press present in Shanghai, including FormulaPassion.
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Kimi’s joy
“I felt a lot of emotions,” Antonelli’s account of the final laps. “When I came out of turn 14 I did a little slide, but I was really happy and afterwards I let myself go on the cool-down lap.” Simply useless to try to hold back the tears: “I cried, I just couldn’t help it. It’s a very important moment for all of us: for me, my family, the team… In the end, I’ve done the whole journey with Mercedes since the go-kart days, since I was 11 years old. To have reached this point is a great achievement. The next one is to become world champions with Mercedes.”
Kimi struggles to find the words to describe the emotions felt on the podium: “Hearing the Mameli anthem was beautiful. Receiving the biggest trophy was a big deal, it would be nice to experience it every weekend. Winning and standing on the top step of the podium is one of the best feelings you can experience.” Antonelli achieved his first victory on the day of Hamilton’s first podium with Ferrari, a coincidence that allowed him to collect compliments that were special to say the least: “Lewis was really nice to me, he was very happy for me. It was exciting to be able to share the podium with George, but especially with Lewis, because he has made motorsport history anyway.”
The race
The young Mercedes driver controlled the race from the first laps until the checkered flag, but it was only 15 laps from the end that he started to seriously believe in the victory: “I just hoped there wouldn’t be a Safety Car. I had found the rhythm, even if at the end I had a lock-up and when I saw the video again I said to myself: ‘But how is it possible that I do something like that?’. I braked a bit later, applying a bit more pressure, the tire was very worn and plus I had a tailwind. Luckily I had a big lead. The last laps I went slower to bring it home.”
During the race Antonelli was able to respond to Russell’s fast laps, preventing his comeback: “I was managing. When they then told me I could push, I started to keep a very tight pace. I was having fun, I was in that phase where you drive without even thinking, as if you put on autopilot. At the same time, however, knowing it was the end, I relaxed a little bit and made the mistake. That is something I definitely won’t repeat.”
In China, Kimi achieved a victory he already believed in from the previous week: “Yes, because anyway even in Melbourne I was doing well and the pace was good. Obviously there was the accident and after that it was a bit of an unfortunate situation, because happening in the final practice you don’t have the same confidence as before. Even with the car, which incredibly had been put back together, we hadn’t managed to do the full setup, but only a part and despite this we were doing well. I knew there was a great possibility and that it would be tough, very tough, but I’m happy to have succeeded.”
The World Title prospect
The driver from Bologna is already looking ahead: “Last year I got my first podium, now my first pole position and my first victory. The next step, which is huge, is that of the championship, but we must keep hammering.” Toto Wolff recommended to the Italian press not to exaggerate with the celebrations, which could backfire on Kimi himself, who, however, shows himself determined and at the same time realist: “Obviously I am very happy with the result and I will enjoy this day, but in the end you have to keep your feet on the ground. There is a very big opportunity to be able to fight for the World Championship, but we are only at the second race and beating George is absolutely not easy. We must keep hammering and keep our feet on the ground, because the championship is still very long.”
After all, Antonelli is just at the beginning of his second season in Formula 1 and finds himself racing against a driver who has been in the top category since 2019: “Experience does a lot in being able to have the situation in hand on all occasions, even when you are in difficulty and you find the way to get out of it immediately. As I said at the beginning of this year, I will try to be as ready as possible, because it is one of those opportunities that don’t happen often.”
Less instinct, more reason
The Italian hopes that the first victory can make things easier for him from now on: “These are days that you will never forget, but they make you more aware of what you can do, of what your potential is when you do things right, without overdoing it. These days give you more self-confidence. Now, beating George is very difficult, because anyway he is at the peak [of his career] and is going very fast, he is a complete driver. It will be necessary to hammer and it won’t be easy, but at the same time I believe this takes away a bit of pressure. I got my first victory, but anyway I still have a lot to prove.”
Among the aspects to work on is certainly the strategy for using the electrical part: “George manages to find the balance with battery management a bit earlier, while I still act too much on impulse. I like to act on instinct, but sometimes, especially with these power units, many times you can’t go only on that, you need reason. This is why sometimes I struggled a bit more than George, there is a bit more to think about in that aspect. The car, however, feels good to me, it goes really fast and gives you confidence. There are another 20 opportunities to win. This is one of the most beautiful feelings ever. The more times you can experience it, the better.”
The celebrations
There will be time for work, with Antonelli first expected for well-deserved celebrations, postponed until his return to Italy in the night: “I’ll have a good sleep, maybe, because I still have a bit of adrenaline inside. Tomorrow we will celebrate with the rest of the family and then I will do something with my friends too. Anyway, I’m someone who likes to be quiet, but I’ll go for it. Just enough, but I’ll do it.”
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