Now that the pressure of the championship fight is completely gone, Kimi Antonelli is simply trying to enjoy the ride. Fresh off wrapping up the title last week in Mexico City to become Formula 1's youngest ever champion, the Italian driver has completely dropped the standings from his mind. That relaxed approach translated immediately to the track during the opening day of running at Interlagos for the Sao Paulo Grand Prix.
After a few days of celebrations, the machine was hooked up right away. He narrowly missed the top spot in the opening practice session to Lando Norris before turning the tables in the second hour of practice to establish an advantage of two-tenths over the field. Conditions on track were far from a walk in the park, featuring tricky track conditions, quite low grip, high degradation, and a car balance that took some real work to solve.
Speaking about his newfound mindset in the car, Antonelli explained that the relief is absolute. "Yes, definitely. I'm trying to enjoy more. Definitely not thinking about the championship now, but I'm enjoying it," he said after the session. He noted that a good step was made between FP1 and FP2, though work remains to dial in the setup for the remainder of the weekend.
Of course, the classic Interlagos weather is ready to throw a massive wrench into everyone's plans, with a 70 percent chance of precipitation hanging over Saturday afternoon. Antonelli is well aware of how quickly the skies can turn from sunshine to a torrential downpour. "It's so uncertain at the moment. I think we'll try to be ready for anything," he stated, emphasizing the need to remain dynamic while eyeing a tightly contested grid where McLaren, Red Bull, and Ferrari are all right in the mix.
Down in the garage, the team is also managing the brutal reality of the calendar with George Russell. The driver is set to take a five-place grid penalty for the race after picking up a new Internal Combustion Engine (ICE). Deputy Team Principal Bradley Lord laid out the strategic thinking behind the move, admitting that it is simply the quickest way to get through to the end of the season without nursing an older, turned-down power unit. Lord also revealed that Kimi Antonelli will likely have to take an extra ICE at an upcoming race as well.
With a warmer Saturday threatened by rain and a cooler Sunday on the horizon, adapting on the fly will dictate who comes out on top. Lord expects a fierce battle between the silver cars, the blue cars, the red cars, and the orange cars on a short lap where tiny gaps make perfection mandatory on a single flying lap.
F1
F1
