Kimi Antonelli leads the F1 championship by 81 points after his Spanish Grand Prix win, but Mercedes boss Toto Wolff is not celebrating yet. Wolff has warned of “black swan events” that could undo a season’s work, even as Antonelli’s advantage grows.
Antonelli won back-to-back races in Monza and Madrid, which pushed his lead over team-mate George Russell to 81 points with nine rounds left. Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton and McLaren’s Lando Norris sit third and fourth in the standings, both more than 100 points behind.
“There are black swan events, they can come and you’re losing something out of your hand when you didn’t think it was possible to lose.”
Antonelli’s approach
Antonelli has repeatedly said he is not thinking about the championship, and Wolff believes him. The team principal says the 20-year-old is skilled at separating his personal life from his racing duties.
“He’s not thinking about the championship,” Wolff said. “And we are also trying, the parents and myself and the team, saying this is not finished.”
Antonelli’s eight wins this season are six more than any other driver. He has led the championship since winning the third round in Japan on March 29, and Sunday’s Spanish Grand Prix gave him the biggest lead of his campaign.
Staying grounded
After the win in Madrid, Antonelli stressed that the lead is not a guarantee.
“Yeah, it [the points lead] is great, but we’ve just got to keep pushing, keep delivering the results and just trying to do the best job I can whenever I go on track,” he said.
He credited his support network, especially his father Marco, for keeping him grounded.
“I have an incredible team that supports me, great family. Especially my dad is the one that keeps me on the ground,” he added.
Antonelli said he wants to stay simple rather than complicate things with championship pressure.
“But definitely I don’t want to overcomplicate things just drive worrying about championship or result. Just driving, doing my best.”
The season ahead
Wolff’s warning is that Antonelli should not assume the title is secure. Nine races remain, and anything can happen in each of them.
The Azerbaijan Grand Prix starts a triple-header of races from September 24-26, with the Baku race on a Saturday. All three races will be shown live on Sky Sports F1.
For now, Antonelli is doing what Wolff asked of him: the team is saying the championship is not finished.
The championship fight is not over, even though it looks like it is. That is the whole point of Wolff’s warning.
See the video the story is built around at Skysports.
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