DistantNews
Support us
🇦🇹 Austria /Sports

F1 Leader Kimi Antonelli Outruns His Father's Doubts

From Die Presse · () German

Translated from German and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

In-depth Named sources Ongoing story
  • Kimi Antonelli heads to the Italian Grand Prix as the first Italian championship leader since Alberto Ascari in 1953, holding a 59-point advantage over his nearest rivals.
  • Mercedes chose to accept a penalty for an unauthorized engine change at Monza, which the team considers the best circuit for taking the punishment.
  • Ferrari, Red Bull and McLaren have narrowed Mercedes' advantage, while defending champion Lando Norris has won the recent races in Budapest and Zandvoort.

Kimi Antonelli will start his home race at Monza from the back of the Formula One field, yet he arrives as the championship leader and one of the sport's brightest young stars. The Mercedes driver has a 59-point lead and is on course to become the youngest world champion in Formula One history.

My father did not want me to race because motorsport is a wonderful sport, but it can sometimes be very cruel. He had experienced that himself and feared that I could suffer major disappointments.

· Kimi AntonelliHe described his father's early concerns about his racing career in an interview with GQ.

His rise nearly met resistance at home. Antonelli recently told GQ that his father, Marco, did not want him to race because motorsport can be “a wonderful sport, but it can sometimes be very cruel.” Having experienced that himself, his father feared that Kimi would suffer major disappointments. Antonelli pushed ahead, and now he enters the Italian Grand Prix as the first Italian championship leader since Alberto Ascari in 1953.

The occasion carries a different feeling from his Monza debut last year. Antonelli spun off during practice, received a time penalty in the race and finished ninth. His learning curve and the new generation of cars then helped him dominate the opening phase of the season. Recently, however, the rivals have closed the gap. “The job is not done yet. There is still a lot to happen, and we still have a lot to achieve,” Antonelli said.

I am really excited. I feel that I can enjoy the weekend much more.

· Kimi AntonelliAntonelli discussed the prospect of racing at his home Grand Prix as championship leader.

Mercedes and Antonelli made a deliberately unsentimental choice to take a grid penalty at Monza for an unauthorized engine change. Team principal Toto Wolff said, “In our sport, sentimentality is not rewarded,” adding that the team's calculations identified Monza as the best track for the penalty. The decision could reduce Antonelli's points advantage.

The job is not done yet. There is still a lot to happen, and we still have a lot to achieve.

· Kimi AntonelliHe acknowledged that Mercedes faces a stronger challenge from rival teams.

Mercedes has also appeared unusually cautious in developing its car while Ferrari, Red Bull and especially McLaren have gained ground. Lando Norris, the defending champion, recently won in Budapest and Zandvoort and is mounting a comeback reminiscent of Max Verstappen's charge last season. Wolff said Mercedes lacks the money for further car upgrades because of the budget cap.

In our sport, sentimentality is not rewarded.

· Toto WolffThe Mercedes team principal explained the decision to accept a grid penalty at Monza.
About this summary

Originally published by Die Presse in German. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

More Stories

From Our Blog