Kimi Antonelli: ‘We didn’t deserve to win’Norris secured pole out of nowhere at the first Madring-hosted Spanish Grand Prix, and established an early-race lead.
The complexion of the Spanish GP changed when a Virtual Safety Car was thrown due to Lance Stroll’s stoppage.
Lando deserved to win today,” Antonelli admitted following the race.
With Spanish GP victory, Antonelli extended his Drivers’ Championship lead to 81 points over Mercedes teammate George Russell.
Read next: Lando Norris data settles Spanish GP VSC debate
Kimi Antonelli was glad to win the Spanish Grand Prix, of course, but the feeling was a little flat as he became an eight-time race winner.
Antonelli said the way in which he won the Spanish Grand Prix was not how he wanted it to happen. He pointed to Lando Norris’s Virtual Safety Car heartbreak, and the Red Bull order which frustrated Max Verstappen. Both moments played a significant role in Antonelli’s drive to victory.
Kimi Antonelli: ‘We didn’t deserve to win’
Norris secured pole out of nowhere at the first Madring-hosted Spanish Grand Prix, and established an early-race lead.
The complexion of the Spanish GP changed when a Virtual Safety Car was thrown due to Lance Stroll’s stoppage. Antonelli and Verstappen dived into the pits for a ‘cheap’ pit stop.
Norris had to wait until the next time around. He suffered a slow front-right tyre change, triggering a seven-second stop. It was also at this point that the VSC ended.
Therefore, once Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc finally pitted, ending a mammoth first stint on the hard tyres, Antonelli was freed to drive on to victory.
“It’s good to win and I think the pace at the end was good. But if I have to be realistic and honest, today we didn’t deserve to win. Lando deserved to win today,” Antonelli admitted following the race.
“So I think our result was probably P2 or even P3.
“I just didn’t do a good enough job at the start, being a bit too aggressive and then putting myself in a bad position. So yeah, definitely things to work on. But all in all, today went well and I’m happy with that.
“We’re just going to try to be better in Baku.”
Norris’ misfortune was not the only helping hand which Antonelli benefitted from.
Verstappen had taken to the run-off at the start, in avoidance of Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari, he stressed. With the FIA stewards noting Verstappen, he was told by Red Bull to give the place to Hamilton.
The problem was, Antonelli had got between them, as Hamilton began suffering with a brake problem, one which soon triggered his retirement from the race.
Verstappen therefore had to slow to let Antonelli through first, and then Hamilton.
Antonelli went on to win the race by just over four seconds from Verstappen.
“I was a bit confused because I didn’t think he overtook me off track. He overtook me normally,” Antonelli said of the Verstappen yield. “So, I was a bit confused in the first place, but then he told me that he had to give the position back to Lewis.
“So, of course it was a bit awkward, especially for him because also Lewis was experiencing brake issues. So yeah, that’s why I think today the win is, as I said, great, but not the way I wanted to win.”
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Nonetheless, Antonelli positioned himself to take advantage of any good fortune, and when it emerged, he never looked back.
With Spanish GP victory, Antonelli extended his Drivers’ Championship lead to 81 points over Mercedes teammate George Russell.
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Read next: Lando Norris data settles Spanish GP VSC debate
