Antonelli feeling title nerves: I’m not as relaxed as usual

Kimi Antonelli needs very little to seal the championship title. In fact, he does not need to score a single point if neither Lewis Hamilton nor George Russell wins Sunday’s race. However, the young Silver Arrows driver admitted after qualifying that he was not entirely at ease.

Antonelli did not deliver the sort of qualifying performance we would have expected of him. He was almost two tenths of a second shy of both pole position and team-mate George Russell, leaving him only fifth. Although he will move up one place on Sunday once Verstappen’s penalty is applied, the podium would be the ideal place to celebrate the title.

“I struggled to get a good feeling from the tyres in Q3. I just didn’t have the most confidence,” admitted Kimi Antonelli after a qualifying session in which title nerves were already taking their toll. “I was a bit tense, I am not going to lie. It was a poor lap, many mistakes here and there. Overall, still P4 and a lot to play for tomorrow.”

The Mercedes driver is battling not only nerves but also a viral illness from which he has yet to fully recover. “It has not been the easiest weekend to be fair. Definitely still not feeling 100 per cent. There is talk of what could happen,” admitted the 20-year-old from Bologna.

“Definitely I’m a bit more tense than usual. Definitely I don’t feel as relaxed but I try to have a good sleep tonight and focus on tomorrow,” he added reassuringly.