Juan Pablo Montoya, former Formula 1 driver, has expressed his opinion on the young championship leader, Kimi Antonelli, indicating that his main obstacle in the race for the title is his own mindset. With the goal of the Mercedes team maintaining a supportive environment for the minor, Montoya believes it is essential for Antonelli to focus on himself.
Currently, Antonelli leads the driver standings ahead of the Belgian Grand Prix, although his teammate, George Russell, has reduced the gap to 25 points after finishing second at the British Grand Prix, while Antonelli ended up in 15th position. Lewis Hamilton, a seven-time champion, currently occupies third place with Ferrari, just seven points behind Russell.
On the *_F1 TV Weekend Warm-up_* program at Spa-Francorchamps, Montoya highlighted that distraction can be a destabilizing factor for Antonelli. “His biggest challenge is himself,” Montoya stated when asked about the threats Antonelli faces and Mercedes.
Montoya emphasized that psychological pressure increases as the point gap narrows, which can affect his performance. “If he can stay focused on what he needs to do, everything will go well for him,” added the contributor to other teams like Williams and McLaren.
Antonelli, for his part, shared similar feelings in an interview with *_F1 TV_* before the race weekend. He expressed that he trusts in his abilities and the performance of his vehicle, highlighting the good results achieved during the year so far.
In the practice sessions of the initial session before the Belgian Grand Prix, Antonelli recorded the sixth-best time. The race will take place on Sunday, July 19, at 15:00 local time.
Written by FormulaRapidaAI
