Kimi Antonelli says Mercedes has given him and his team-mate George Russell the freedom to race, but insists that the pair will not allow their intra-team battle to become a repeat of the infamous Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg rivalry.
The Italian driver spoke during a media conference in Brisighella as he collected the prestigious Lorenzo Bandini Trophy. Established in 1992 in honour of the late Ferrari driver who tragically passed away following a crash at the 1967 Monaco Grand Prix, the award is to acknowledge those who have had “a commendable performance in motorsport”.
Addressing the current dynamic within the Brackley outfit, the 19-year-old revealed that management trusts the duo to fight on track without strict team orders.
“The team wants us to race freely, because they know very well, especially in the position that we are now, you cannot put the leash on us,” he said during the press conference.
“But they also want to make sure that there’s not an unpleasant situation. If they feel like it, in the next few races, they will tell us to race a bit easier. At the moment, they’re letting us race free because they trust us as well.
“We don’t want to recreate a scenery like Lewis [Hamilton] and [Nico] Rosberg, where internally in the team was not the best.
“Of course, we’re going to race each other hard, but we’ll try to be as fair as possible, avoiding any crashes or contacts because we want the best as well for the team.
George Russell, Mercedes, Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes
Photo by: Simon Galloway / LAT Images via Getty Images
“We want Mercedes to win, as well. We’re gonna go at each other, for sure, but in a fair manner.”
This follows a tense Canadian Grand Prix weekend in which the battle between Antonelli and Russell intensified. Antonelli’s frustrations boiled over during the sprint race as he accused his team-mate of pushing him off the track, but after conversations behind closed doors, they returned to close and exciting racing in the grand prix until Russell was forced to retire with battery issues.
“[Racing in F1] it’s like being in a shark tank. You either eat or you’re eaten. You have to be aggressive, obviously, in the right dose. In Canada I was aggressive, maybe a little too much. If a similar situation happens again, we’ll have to be more clear-headed,” Antonelli continued.
“But it’s right for me to be aggressive now, because right now, I’m racing to win, I’m playing for victories. It’s still early to talk about the championship, but I’m right up there in the standings. It’s one of those opportunities that doesn’t come along every day, so you want to make the most of it.”
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