Antonelli says Mercedes "need to keep raising the bar" after Silverstone sprint victory
- Maham Mir
- 5 hours ago
- 2 min read
Mercedes' Kimi Antonelli added another record to his growing list after crossing the line 2.7 seconds ahead of the rest of the field for his career first Sprint win. Starting on the front row next to Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton, Antonelli's excellent getaway meant that he was able to keep within touching distance of Hamilton and bide his time before making a move on Lap 8.
Discussing the sprint, Antonelli reflected on "a great battle" at the front between himself and Hamilton for the lead of the sprint. With the pair only having each other for company, with McLaren's Lando Norris further behind in third, Antonelli said that it was clear to see that "Lewis showed all his experience" as they raced wheel-to-wheel.
Although it looked as though Ferrari would be the quicker of the two teams this weekend after Hamilton impressed during the weekend's sole practice session and sprint qualifying, the pace of the Mercedes was unchallenged once it got into clean air. However, even with the pace advantage, Antonelli was clear that "we [Mercedes] can't let our guard lower" as Ferrari continue to loom close by.
Since Hamilton's Grand Prix victory in the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix, the Ferrari package has continued to look strong even with the pace deficit they experienced last time out in Austria. For the championship leader and his team, keeping Hamilton's Ferrari at bay this weekend on a track where the seven-time former world champion holds a number of his own records will remain a difficult task.
In describing the session as "pretty flat-out" it is clear that the Mercedes advantage in speed is something that the Silver Arrows, and their championship leader especially, are working hard to maintain. Crossing the line ahead of Hamilton, and crucially ahead of his teammate George Russell who finished fifth, Antonelli has collected a valuable eight points to add to his championship lead.
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