Antonelli reflects as Russell closes in on the championship battle

Credit: Formula One

Despite having a sizable lead earlier in the season, Kimi Antonelli goes into the Belgian Grand Prix with only a 25-point gap between him and his teammate. 

At the British Grand Prix, Antonelli came to the fight well-prepared and appeared to be on for his sixth win of the season. On the closing laps, however, disaster struck. 

The Italian would suffer from front-left wheel shield damage, effectively ending his shot at the win and points in general. His teammate, George Russell, finished second, which significantly trimmed down the points gap. 

During Thursday’s media in Spa, Antonelli was questioned about the patches of "bad luck" he and his teammate have dealt with so far this season.

"It's really hard to judge because yes, he's had bad luck for sure," said Antonelli.

"Montreal was one of them. Of course, we wouldn't have known how the race would have ended, because we were both neck and neck. He was very unlucky because at that point, he was leading before he stopped. For sure, there were a couple of other times that he was a bit unlucky. 

"In my case, we were going towards a result that was almost certain; Barcelona was P2. Silverstone we cannot know because I didn't have a shot, but I think it would have been a fight for it [the victory]. We know those for sure would have been certain points. 

"I have to say, both of us had bad luck, and one of us had it at more critical moments at times, but it's the way it is; this is how motorsport goes. We can see ourselves how this can shift very quickly," he concluded.

Credit: Formula One

And of course, as seen with many other teams this season, reliability has been a huge factor for the Silver Arrows. Between Russell’s retirement in Montreal and Antonelli’s in Barcelona, the points being lost cause significant damage in a title fight, especially when the drivers are not at fault.

"As a team, definitely reliability has not been our strongest point," said Antonelli. 

"We've realised ourselves that it's something we need to keep working on. Ferrari seem very strong on that side. We just need to make sure, and I know the team is working super hard to make sure these things don't happen."