Antonelli downplays big point lead after ‘lucky’ Spa gain

Kimi Antonelli isn't putting much stock in his big world championship lead, saying big swings in points could continue after counting himself lucky to pull out a sizable advantage once again by winning the Belgian Grand Prix.

The Italian had retired from two of the previous three races to see his championship advantage reduced to 25 points over teammate George Russell, and 32 over Lewis Hamilton. However, an impressive victory for Antonelli was paired with Russell retiring on the opening lap, and Hamilton’s fourth place now puts the championship leader 45 points clear of the field.

“I think the momentum was always there, it was just about getting the result,” Antonelli said. “Today, we were a bit lucky with what happened in terms of the championship, but that’s why you’ve got to try to take every opportunity, because we saw that the situation can really swing very easily. We’ve just got to keep performing, keep bringing the results, and then we’ll see what happens at the end of the year.

“Obviously, I was a bit annoyed [with the virtual safety car], but you can’t predict these things. Sometimes it goes your way; other times it doesn’t. In Suzuka, I was very lucky with the safety car timing, and today it wasn’t on my side. But it’s how it goes and that’s why, despite everything, you just try to make the best out of it and maximize the result.”

Having managed to overhaul Charles Leclerc to win at Spa-Francorchamps, Antonelli says it was a race he could never relax in, after also briefly losing the lead to Max Verstappen at the start.

“It was crazy. To be fair, I was so confused about what was happening because Max came flying past me before Eau Rouge, and then I passed him back," he explained. "But then I saw Charles almost come alongside me, and I was like: ‘What the heck is happening?!’

“I had no clue. I was just trying to hold the position on track, and I was looking in my mirror the whole time because I just saw so many cars coming. But it was a crazy start. Luckily, we got away cleanly.

“It was a hard-fought race. The pace was a lot higher than in practice, and it was not easy because Max in the first stint was keeping up, and then obviously Charles had great pace as well on the hards. So, it was not easy because there was also so much deployment difference between all the teams. As well, we were strong in certain parts of the track but then weak in others. So, it definitely was not straightforward, but I’m very happy with it.”