Kimi Antonelli believes the start of the race will be crucial, saying it will be ” really hard” to create overtaking opportunities in Madrid.
The current championship leader will start the Spanish GP from second on the grid after narrowly missing out on pole position to Lando Norris. Even after two days of on-track running at the newly constructed Madring, Sunday’s Grand Prix is still shrouded in uncertainty as the inaugural Formula 1 race approaches. Antonelli is sure, however, that the opening run down to turn 1 will be key for gaining positions, as overtaking is difficult on the tight track.
When asked by Motorsport Monday in the post-qualifying press conference if there was any chance of overtaking in the race or if they would rely on chaos unfolding in the field, Antonelli jokingly replied that he hopes any chaos will not involve Mercedes.
“Hopefully. I mean, I hope no chaos for us. But no, apart from jokes, the start is very important, for sure, and running to turn five is going to be important,” he said.
“But then after that, you know, if you have similar paces, unless they make a mistake or you’re able to have a better deck and do something different strategy, then you can create the opportunities, but when the gaps are so close, it’s really hard to create an overtake opportunity. That’s why the start is going to be very important.”
Will Mercedes “play with strategy” in Madrid?
Antonelli went on to compare the Madring with the likes of Monaco and Jeddah in terms of overtaking opportunities, suggesting that success at the new Spanish GP track might take some experiments with strategy.
“I think Monaco is probably still a bit more intense, but also this track takes quite a bit of effort just to try and put the lap together and overtaking, yes. I think it’s going to be very difficult.
“In practice, I spent two laps behind the Williams, trying to painfully get past, but just really difficult. Especially because already the deck is quite big and when you’re behind, you start sliding more and it just makes your life a bit tougher.
“So yeah, the only thing you can do is trying to put pressure on the car in front, trying to make the mistake or make them back a bit more and then you try to play with strategy. But yeah, especially when you have a very similar pace, it’s difficult to make a move. And Jeddah, Baku, Monaco, Singapore, a bit of everything. It’s there in the middle, I think, you know, Jeddah is definitely more high-speed than this, Monaco.”
Antonelli leads his teammate George Russell in the Driver’s Championship by 66 points after his win in Monza. Russell qualified P6, providing him with a huge challenge if the Brit wants to best his teammate in Madrid.
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