Naomi Schiff has praised Kimi Antonelli for demonstrating the fighting mentality required to win a Formula 1 championship during his frustrating British Grand Prix.
The Mercedes driver had the race win in his sights as he closed down the gap to Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc but saw a potential victory slip away from him due to a bizarre mechanical failure. Running a 10-lap tyre offset strategy, Antonelli was up to 2.5 seconds faster than Leclerc per lap before the mishap.
His charge was halted when a front-right wheel shield shifted and blocked his steering mechanism. When the Mercedes pitwall subsequently instructed the Italian driver to retire from the race, he immediately pleaded over the team radio to continue to claim any points he could.
While Antonelli ultimately finished 15th after being hit with a track limits penalty, his approach to the race has been applauded by many within the paddock.
“I think we saw the beginning of that in Canada when he was coming back on the radio, and really isn’t going to let any little thing go, which is the attitude you need if you want to win this championship,” Schiff said of Antonelli on the Up To Speed podcast.
Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes
Photo by: Andy Hone/ LAT Images via Getty Images
“He was worried about one single point. He didn’t care if it was just one point that he was going to get. He wanted to score it. And the Mercedes team did a fantastic job, the strategy team leaving him out there a lot longer than the others. He had a 10-lap offset to the others, and he was reeling them in.
“He was 2.5 seconds quicker than Charles when he was closing that gap. And then that very unfortunate wheel shield.”
Antonelli still leads the championship, but his team-mate George Russell has closed the gap to 25 points after the Briton finished second at his home grand prix.
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