Kimi Antonelli addresses inevitable Ferrari F1 links ahead of Italian GP
Kimi Antonelli discusses potential future Ferrari F1 links
Formula 1 championship leader Andrea Kimi Antonelli says “there will always be this kind of talk” when discussing the inevitability of future links to Ferrari.
The 20-year-old comes into his home race at the Italian Grand Prix this weekend leading the championship 59 points clear in the standings.
It marks the first time since the 1950s that an Italian has led the championship coming into their home grand prix.
But Kimi Antonelli’s success at home will have to compete with the huge draw Ferrari will have.
Though his F1 future lies with Mercedes, Antonelli admits he will likely always have to live with mounting speculation of a Ferrari move the more successful he is.
“Yeah, of course,” he replied when asked on Thursday at Monza if he has accepted that, as an Italian, he will likely be linked to Ferrari throughout his career.
“Being an Italian myself, I know how emotional we are and how excited we can get about things. Sometimes overly excited.
“So, of course there will always be this kind of talk.
“But at the end of the day, as much as Ferrari is massive, incredible brand, I’m very happy where I am. I’m very happy with Mercedes because they’re the one who gave me the opportunity since I was a kid, and I feel like I have so much to give back to them.”
Monza grid penalty “helps to relieve pressure”
Antonelli comes to his home race facing a back-of-the-grid penalty, as Mercedes elects to change his power unit outside of his permitted pool of parts for the season.
While he believes a top five finish is a realistic target, he says the penalty helps take the pressure off of him going into the weekend, while also allowing him to try new set-up ideas in practice.
“I think in some ways it helps to relieve pressure,” he said.
“Although, I’d very much rather fight for pole and start at the front, but in some ways I feel like it makes me a bit more relaxed going into the weekend.
“And I think that’s why I’m going to be able to enjoy the driving more and the weekend itself.
“Of couse, it’s a different opportunity, it’s an opportunity to try something different during the weekend, different work method as well, in free practice especially because we have the chance to do so.”
