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07/17 03:34 CDT Kimi Antonelli reveals advice from Roger Federer to get back on
track in F1 title fight
Kimi Antonelli reveals advice from Roger Federer to get back on track in F1
title fight
By JAMES ELLINGWORTH
AP Sports Writer
On the grass courts of Wimbledon or racing through the Belgian forests, what
matters is staying in control.
Kimi Antonelli heads into the Belgian Grand Prix with a piece of advice he
picked up recently from Roger Federer.
After a run of car problems cut into the Italian's Formula 1 standings lead,
Antonelli's chat with the tennis great in the Royal Box at Wimbledon offered a
fresh perspective on how to stop these blips turning into a slump.
"About pressure, he just told me to really focus one race at a time, just focus
on what you can control, and also to control the emotions, especially the ones
that can make you do mistakes," Antonelli said Thursday.
"Those were the main pieces of advice. Other than that, it was an incredible
experience to witness."
So far, Antonelli seems to be staying focused, even as Ferrari's Charles
Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton threaten Mercedes' supremacy. Antonelli doesn't seem
to have lost any of his race-winning pace, unlike last year, when his
confidence hit rock-bottom after errors on the European tracks he was meant to
know best.
"I just need to maximize every opportunity I get, what I have in control, and
then we'll see what the rest will be," Antonelli said. "It's part of the sport
and the team are doing a tremendous job to make sure that all these issues are
not happening again."
Russell's struggles Instead, it's his more experienced Mercedes teammate George Russell who's struggling. A second-place finish for Russell at the British Grand Prix was more about luck than speed, as he benefited from Antonelli's car trouble, a crash for Max Verstappen and a strategy blunder for Hamilton. Russell cut Antonelli's lead to 25 points but said he felt "less satisfied" with that home podium finish than he had breaking down from the lead in Canada. The fast, sweeping Belgian circuit has key similarities to Silverstone. That could pose a challenge to Russell and offer an opportunity to Ferrari. Leclerc and Ferrari were surprised he had the pace to win in Britain and they've been working since then to understand what worked so well to deliver that pace this weekend, too. Mercedes remains the team to beat and "should be a lot further ahead" in the standings by now, Hamilton told Sky Sports. Norris hits another setback One driver who almost certainly won't be in contention for the win is Lando Norris. The defending champion comes into this week's race with a 10-place grid penalty after McLaren switched out a troublesome electrical part on his car. Teammate Oscar Piastri spent Thursday stressing he trusts McLaren's assurances he'll stay with the team next year despite reported interest in signing Max Verstappen. Four-time champion Verstappen left his future open Thursday but had warm words for Red Bull team boss Laurent Mekies, who started his tenure a year ago with a stunning win for Verstappen in a sprint in Belgium. After Verstappen fumed at Red Bull's "dangerous" car after back-to-back crashes caused by rear wing failures, the team is going back to an older design this week, potentially affecting Verstappen's pace. ___ AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing |
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