Antonelli, a first victory which takes some of the pressure off him from F1?

A deliverance. This is probably what Andrea Kimi Antonelli felt as she crossed the finish line at the head of the peloton this Saturday at Silverstone. It is only a Sprint Race, the Italian from Prema is fully clear on that. But in a campaign where he is in the spotlight because he is considered a candidate for the succession of Lewis Hamilton and where all his slightest actions are scrutinized very closely, this has taken a big weight off his shoulders.

And this Saturday, the protégé of Mercedes showed perfectly that he knew how to lead and win a race, especially in difficult conditions. Certainly helped by the reverse grid system which gave him “pole position”, AKA was uncompromising against his opponents, pushed back to almost 9 seconds behind the checkerboard.

« I clearly needed it, he breathed, very satisfied. We didn't have an ideal start to the season, but we improved a lot throughout the year. I admit that for my part, I haven't done the best job in recent weeks. But I'm really happy to get my first victory."

A sigh of relief for Antonelli

At the heart of the transfer market rumors with a view to the 2025 campaign, Andrea Kimi Antonelli admitted to having had difficulty managing this change in dimension. Titled last year in FRECA, the teenager from Bologna was directly sent to F2, jumping F3, and was immediately cited for an arrival in F1 from next season, or even during the current one.

« I haven't always handled pressure very well.He says. Obviously this season, and especially the last few years, I've been under a lot of pressure to be honest. But I have to say that this time, I took it pretty well. There are improvements to be made, because I still make mistakes. For example, yesterday (Friday), in qualifying, I made one on my lap and lost a lot of time. So sometimes I don't perform as well as I should.

But I try to manage the pressure as best I can each time. Today (SATURDAY), it really was the perfect opportunity. It's a big relief for me, because it takes a lot of weight off my shoulders and I hope we can get a good result tomorrow (Sunday) also. » Main Race (10:55 a.m.) from which he will start 10^e on the grid with the objective of finishing as high as possible.

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