F1: Kimi Antonelli is delighted: “I seized the opportunity.” Wolff takes a dig at Ferrari

Andrea Kimi Antonelli returns to victory in Belgium and deals a major blow in the World Championship, extending his lead over his closest rivals after three unlucky races. Following his win at Spa-Francorchamps, the Mercedes driver expressed his satisfaction: “It’s truly wonderful to be back on the top step of the podium, especially after a few difficult races.”

“It was a hard-fought Grand Prix; I lost the lead during the Virtual Safety Car period, but then I was able to make up ground and secure the win. It was definitely tough because Leclerc was fast and didn’t give up until the very end.” The Bologna-born driver took full advantage of his teammate George Russell’s retirement: “Today, luck clearly gave me a hand in the championship. As I always say, you have to seize every opportunity that comes your way. In any case, I hadn’t lost momentum. We need to keep up this level of performance and see what happens at the end of the year.”

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff expressed great confidence following Antonelli’s victory and sent a clear message to Ferrari: “The Antonelli-Mercedes pairing has something extra; it’s faster than everyone else. Who’s his main rival? I’d say Russell—that way, at least one Mercedes will win.”

“Ferrari is very strong, but today, without the Virtual Safety Car, the victory would have been decisive. Let’s not underestimate Verstappen either, and we’ll see how Lando Norris performs at full potential.”