Tricky Formula 1 circuit: What championship leader Kimi Antonelli says about the Madring

Following his irresistible comeback and emotional home victory at the Royal Park of Monza, Kimi Antonelli picked up where he left off: at the front of the field. The young Italian, who leads the World Championship by 66 points ahead of his team-mate George Russell, finished Friday’s practice session on the brand-new Madring circuit with the fastest time of the day. The 20-year-old completed the 5.416 km lap in 1:33.662, beating Ferrari star Charles Leclerc by 0.113 seconds.

Nevertheless, the championship leader from Bologna said: “We’ve had a good first day here, but we still have a lot of work ahead of us for the rest of the weekend.” He is particularly concerned about the ‘black gold’, but the prospect of overtaking an opponent is also on his mind: “It’s going to be difficult to look after the tyres on Sunday, and overtaking is likely to be a real challenge.”

Speaking about the Spanish circuit, he said: “It’s a really cool track. With its many high-speed corners and close-by walls, it’s a real challenge for us drivers. You have to choose your line very precisely and be able to brake well. What’s more, it’s easy to overshoot the braking point, as there are many sections where you have to brake and steer at the same time. It’s an exciting challenge that I really enjoy.»

But having fun isn’t the main focus. Antonelli knows that qualifying is particularly important because of the limited opportunities to overtake. “That makes our work over a single lap tomorrow morning all the more important. That’s what we’ll be focusing on now. At the same time, though, we also want to ensure that we have a good car for the race.”

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