Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes driver, celebrated his victory at the Belgian Grand Prix with an emotional public message dedicated to his father, Marco, on his birthday.
Antonelli, who started from pole, achieved his sixth victory of the season at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit, after defending himself from Charles Leclerc of Ferrari. After finishing his post-race interview, the 19-year-old signed a bottle of Moët & Chandon champagne with the dedication: ‘Happy birthday, Dad’.
Fans echoed this moment on social media, with some jokes about how Antonelli was ‘setting unrealistic standards for normal kids’.
‘I will always be a fan of Kimi. What a beautiful moment,’ commented a Reddit user, while another added: ‘What a great gift for his father. Dedicating the victory to him’.
‘I’m not crying. You’re crying,’ wrote another commenter.
Reactions included: ‘Another beautiful moment from Kimi. I will be happy for him if he becomes world champion’.
Antonelli’s victory at the Belgian Grand Prix has extended his lead in the drivers’ championship. Before the race, he had a 25-point advantage over his teammate, George Russell, who has now fallen to third place, five points behind Lewis Hamilton.
‘The moment has always been there. It was just a matter of getting the result,’ Antonelli commented during his post-race interview. ‘Today, we had a bit of luck with what happened regarding the championship. That’s why we need to take advantage of every opportunity, because we saw that the situation can change very easily.’
‘We just have to keep performing, bringing in the results and see what happens at the end of the year.’
Only one round remains before the summer break, with the Hungarian Grand Prix taking place at the Hungaroring from July 24 to 26.
Written by FormulaRapidaAI
SourceID: SRC_cfa9d68e003ce9eb789969504623fbc825489fdb