Kimi Antonelli has revealed what he has labelled an ‘incredible’ trait of four-time world champion Max Verstappen following the Dutchman’s performance at the Formula 1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
Antonelli found himself on the back foot in Baku, starting from 16th after a qualifying crash significantly hindered his race chances.
Although the championship leader was able to scythe his way through the field, he could only reach as far as fifth come the chequered flag.
Verstappen,starting significantly further up the order made a similar surge at the start of the race, and brought himself into contention for victory in the closing stages.
After the race, Antonelli highlighted what he called an “incredible trait” of Verstappen of a seemingly sixth sense on how to position his car.
“Max has really incredible vision during a race, on how to position the car,” he said to media, including Motorsport Week.
“For example, in Madrid, in the second chicane, when I tried to go on the outside of Lando, and then I bailed out and let him by, my mistake there was to let him by straight away because I knew Max was going on the outside in that corner. He saw the opportunity and went for it.
“That’s always fascinating, because in a very short [amount of] time he can read a situation well, and he can always, in this scenario, find a gap to get a position.”
Kimi Antonelli highlights rival’s strengths
Antonelli then praised Verstappen and Red Bull’s ability to pull themselves into contention, even if the RB22 is lacking performance.
“Also, seeing him so close on the track, it’s how well he can flip situations even when they’re not looking good,” he said.
“I remember Monaco this year in FP3; they [Red Bull] looked quite far back, and then in qualifying, he almost put it on pole.
“With Max, what’s great is that it’s also the unknown at times, especially in free practice; you don’t really know his full potential. But when it matters, he always finds something more, which is really fascinating to see.”
Antonelli is becoming more aware of the traits that make Verstappen one of the sport’s most successful drivers, no doubt taking note for when the Red Bull and Verstappen package returns to consistent competitiveness at the front of the grid.
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