Kimi Antonelli has vowed to bounce back and rebuild his runaway advantage in the drivers’ championship as Formula One returns to Malaysia this weekend.
Sepang will host Sunday’s race in place of Bahrain, which was supposed to stage the grand prix in April but was cancelled because of war in the Middle East.
The 20-year-old Antonelli, who finished fifth last weekend in Azerbaijan, leads Mercedes team-mate George Russell by 66 points following the Briton’s commanding triumph in Baku.
Hampered by a hydraulics failure in practice, Italy’s Antonelli crashed in qualifying and started 16th on the grid as he was beaten by Russell for the first time in six races.
Antonelli said he intends to “re-establish the order” at Sepang International Circuit, which last hosted Formula One in 2017.
“He’s always been my rival,” he said of Russell’s bid to overhaul him and snatch the title.
“But I’ll make sure I re-establish the order and just make sure that I am back to my usual level.”
Antonelli joked that he was “driving more like my grandma” in Azerbaijan.
Russell said his “game plan” is to try and prevail in all of the remaining eight race weekends this season.
‘Irrelevant’
Antonelli, seeking to be Italy’s first champion since Alberto Ascari in 1953, was only 11 the last time Formula One was at Sepang.
That race was won by Red Bull’s four-time world champion Max Verstappen, who finished a close second behind Russell last Sunday and proved that he has the speed to become a threat to the Mercedes pair as the campaign approaches a climax.
He and teammate Isack Hadjar, who was third, demonstrated Red Bull’s power and straight-line speed in Baku.
But Ferrari and McLaren will also be major threats at Sepang in what should be a closely fought contest.
Ferrari will be in battling mood as boss Fred Vasseur shrugs off rumours linking former Red Bull chief Christian Horner with his job and rallies the team to fight for every remaining point.
“We will bring upgrades and we will continue to push until the last corner,” he said.
He said that data from the Malaysia race in 2017 would be “practically irrelevant”.
“Everything has changed: tyres, engines and chassis are all completely different for everyone,” he said.
Ferrari on Tuesday declared they had “full confidence” in Vasseur, who had expressed frustration at being asked about Horner “25 times a day” in Baku.
‘Emotions were high’
World champion Lando Norris of McLaren also had reason to comment after Baku when he apologised to Alpine’s Franco Colapinto for saying that the Argentine should be banned.
Colapinto collided with his Alpine team-mate Pierre Gasly, who in turn hit Norris. All three were taken out of the race.
“I sent Franco a message apologising for the comments I made that I simply should not have said,” he said.
“I know better and emotions were running high, but that is not an excuse, it was wrong of me.”
After the chaos of the fast streets of Baku, a more “normal” race is in prospect, although the usual rain and storms are a factor in Malaysia.
Half of the drivers will rediscover a much-loved fast, sweeping and flowing circuit.
Others are taking it on for the first time.
Seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton will seek to add to his shared record (with Michael Schumacher) of five poles and one win.
Two-time world champion Fernando Alonso will be hunting a record-equalling fourth Sepang victory.
In a quirk, the race will officially still be called the Bahrain Grand Prix.
Source: Khaleej Times