Ahead of the Monaco Grand Prix, Kimi Antonelli emphasizes that top drivers in the championship battle should not be held back
According to Kimi Antonelli, you can’t rein in drivers in a championship battle; instead, you have to trust them on the track and let them fight it out.
“We’ll continue to battle it out, just like we did in Canada,” explains the championship leader ahead of the weekend in Monaco. “Of course, we’ll handle it a bit more wisely, but the team certainly wants us to be able to race against each other completely freely.”
“That’s how it has to be,” the 19-year-old continues. “You can’t put a driver on a leash when he’s racing for wins and championships. You can’t tell him, ‘Hey, back off a bit.’”
“Of course, things like that can happen, but the team wants us to race,” Antonelli emphasizes in conclusion. After the race in Canada, Toto Wolff had noted that they didn’t necessarily want to repeat scenarios like the one at the Montreal Grand Prix.
After all, Antonelli and Russell narrowly avoided major collisions several times during the sprint and the main race. Nevertheless, according to the championship leader, there are no plans for team orders.
Instead, both Mercedes drivers emphasize that they want to treat each other as fairly as possible in the championship battle. “We had a few conversations after the race weekend,” Antonelli explains.
“We had one of them just a few days before we arrived [in Monaco]. We analyzed every aspect of the race, and the conclusion was: ‘You’re free to drive as you like, as long as you respect each other and don’t put yourselves in situations that could harm one or both of you.’“
”You know, the team never wants to impose any rules,” explains the four-time Grand Prix winner. “Of course, they want both cars to finish the race and for the team to score as many points as possible.”
“We’re aware of that, because while we’re driving for ourselves—after all, we each want to be the best and win—we’re also driving for the team. We want to reward the roughly 2,000 employees in Brackley and Brixworth, and we want the team to win.”
In the World Championship, both Mercedes drivers are in the top two spots. If you believe experts like Dr. Helmut Marko, then a Silver Arrow is bound to clinch the title at the end of the season.
This certainty is unlikely to ease Toto Wolff’s headaches, however. After all, Mercedes has experienced the Hamilton vs. Rosberg rivalry, in which the two teammates’ collaboration posed a major challenge for about three years.