Kimi Antonelli respects ‘wake-up call’ in F1 title bid before Dutch Grand Prix

By Scott Hunt, Press Association F1 Reporter, Zandvoort

George Russell piled the pressure on championship rival Kimi Antonelli after Dutch Grand Prix qualifying as the young Italian admitted he had been handed a “wake-up call”.

Lando Norris underlined his world champion status with a superb pole, backing up his win in Hungary before the sport’s summer break by conquering blustery winds and spots of rain to see off Mercedes duo Russell and Antonelli.

Russell had earlier given his title quest a much-needed shot in the arm by winning the 24-lap sprint, chipping three points from his deficit to title leader Antonelli.

The Italian, who turns 20 next week, still extended his advantage at the top to 53 points from Lewis Hamilton – with Russell now 56 adrift.

But Russell, who has endured a challenging season in pursuit of his maiden title, has returned from the sport’s summer shutdown with renewed vigour and was in bullish mood after qualifying second.

Antonelli has not been able to match his team-mate or Norris yet this weekend and again showed moments of vulnerability.

He has belied his teenage years to claim six wins and put himself in a commanding position to clinch his first world crown.

But Russell was ready to point out that it is the young Italian, sat opposite him on the press conference sofa, who has a championship to lose.

“I just feel more relaxed after the break, nothing to lose, pressure off and I am going to enjoy it,” Russell added.

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“I don’t feel in a fight, it is not mine to lose, it is mine to gain. That is the mentality I have got and I feel it is going to help me.”

If Antonelli is feeling the added pressure of having returned from the summer shutdown as the man to be shot at, he is not keen to admit it.

But he did accept that small mistakes this weekend, which have opened the door to his competition, has reminded him of the job he still needs to do.

“I don’t feel extra pressure but it was a very good wake up-call this weekend that you can never lower your guard,” Antonelli said.

“I did a mistake yesterday, today I did a mistake in Q3. It’s not that I am driving more tense or anything but I feel this weekend has been a wake-up call to put things in the right place and deliver the result when it counts.”

Norris was highly critical of his McLaren after the sprint, only to banish those worries and land pole, but Russell is ready to take the fight to his compatriot on Sunday.

“I think we are in a great place, Kimi and I in P2 and P3. We can put Lando under pressure strategically,” Russell said.

“I think we have a faster race car. I think it will come towards us, Ferrari further down the order than we would have expected – they were our biggest threat. It’s game on.”

Hamilton and Ferrari team-mate Charles Leclerc could manage only fifth and sixth.

Russell, with two wins to his name this season, talked of adapting his driving style – including looking across the garage for inspiration.

He believes it has taken time to come to fruition but that he is starting to reap the rewards.

“The truth is Kimi has been doing amazing job, we have different driving styles. It is working well for him and these tyres,” Russell added.

“I’m just trying to implement something similar into my driving style. I describe it as if you change your golf swing you will probably take half a step back first before making improvements.”

Oscar Piastri starts fourth in the second McLaren, while Max Verstappen is seventh on the grid.