Kimi Antonelli admits to being “inconsistent” with his starts, but feels he is getting there.
Despite Toto Wolff’s desire to lay off the superlatives, the fact is that Kimi Antonelli is very, very special.
Unafraid to show his emotions when he gets it wrong, he also plays it down when he gets it right, his parents clearly having kept him grounded with both feet firmly planted on the ground.
Despite talk of momentum swings, teammate George Russell must be getting worried, and, in spite of Wolff’s assurances, rightly so.
In Miami, Antonelli 2.0 delivered another masterclass, keeping his cool when those around him were losing there’s – and how – to extend his title lead to twenty points.
However, speaking post-race, the youngster, unafraid to self-criticise claimed he could have done better, especially when it comes to his Achilles heel, the start.
“Today, to be fair, was not as bad,” he told reporters. “I think I lost two places… in the Sprint, I lost six,” he smiled. “So, a little bit better.
“But still, it’s not acceptable,” he added. “I think, especially in a weekend like this, that the gaps are a lot closer, it can really change the race.
“I think it’s a point where also together with the team, because yesterday, for example, in the Sprint, procedure-wise was good, but just the grip level that we thought there was just not there.
“I think also with the team, but for sure mainly from me, because I’m still a little bit inconsistent, especially on clutch drop, but I still don’t have that confidence on being consistent with that. I still have a bit of uncertainty, so it’s a big point that needs to be improved. But I think today, I managed it better than yesterday.
“Yesterday, I was very frustrated, and today, I just kept it a bit cool, a bit better, and managed to move on and focus about the race.”
Indeed he did.
Check out our Sunday gallery from Miami here.