Antonelli chasing domination in Spain

Kimi Antonelli looks unstoppable. At the very least, he seems unshakeable.

Whatever questions have been thrown his way, he’s answered in a way only he can.

A record-breaking win-streak when questioned about his inexperience, a sterling drive and win in Monza from 19 th when questioned on the legitimacy of his skill given that he has the best car on the grid.

As if that wasn’t ridiculous enough, the all-new Madring circuit today presents him with the opportunity to follow up his impossible drive in Italy with domination in Spain.

The Scuderia outfit, silenced by their poor performance at their home track in Monza, must have had visions of the schematics of the Spanish circuit, as they’ve been nose to tail with the Mercedes team in the practices on Friday and yesterday, being behind in the timings by at most 0.500s.

Charles Leclerc showed excellent performance, particularly in the first sector, due to a low-drag, high-downforce setup that was boosted by Ferrari’s superior battery deployment capabilities.

Lewis Hamilton will be bitterly disappointed by his novice error that led to his crash in the final corner of the circuit during yesterday’s practice session.

The light at the end of the tunnel for him will be that Ferrari cars seem to have real potential in this circuit, not just to challenge, but for him to arrest the murmurings that perhaps his chances at a championship were nothing more than a wish.

The title-challenging Silver Arrows seemed untouchable yesterday, especially in the final sector of the circuit. The tight and technically demanding 20 th and 21 st corners bode well for the Mercedes car, which stays planted to the tarmac under braking, as its sharp front wing helps in navigating its driver.

The flow of the right and left corners of turns 18 and 19 lends itself well to their strengths. The power of their engine turns those corners into straights, allowing for overtakes to be a unique possibility for the likes of George Russell, who will need that advantage and more to turn his promising Saturday performances into race wins.

The need for those wins has escalated exponentially for the Brit, as Antonelli would still win the driver’s championship by only finishing second for the rest of the season, even if Russell won the remaining nine races.

He will be bolstered by how well he went around the Spanish Grand Prix circuit yesterday, as he seemed to have taken to the track like a duck to water.

The expectation this weekend for the drivers and teams alike by the Formula One fellowship was for some spectacular failure to adapt to a new circuit, a cacophony of incidents and complaints, and a retelling of the trials of their junior divisions earlier in the week.

In reality, however, the grid is made up of a fine collection of the world’s best, from seat to garage. Figuring out how to quell the Madring’s Baku-like twists and tight-fitting track, surely inspired by its counterpart in Monaco, won’t be too tall a task.