LIVE Formula 1 | Kimi Antonelli shares advice from Max Verstappen: ‘We talk about anything and everything’ | Sport

The 2016 Barcelona Grand Prix became a historic race for several reasons. Max Verstappen won his first race, making him the youngest race winner of all time. The two had to do that lightning-fast Mercedes drivers eliminate each other.

Nico Rosberg had won the first four races of the season. The relationship with teammate Lewis Hamilton was not very good, but the breaking point was reached in Barcelona. Hamilton tried to pass his teammate and the championship leader. However, the Briton had to cross the grass, lost control and crashed into Rosberg. Zero points for Mercedes and a lesson that needed to be learned.

Kimi Antonelli has shared the podium in recent races with Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton, among others. The Mercedes driver especially has a good relationship with Verstappen. The two drivers can often be found together before a race. Will the young Antonelli also receive advice for the title fight from the four-time world champion?

“We talk about all kinds of things, but not so much about that. He simply says: ‘Keep doing what you’re doing, keep enjoying yourself, be yourself, and the results will take care of themselves.’ I think a lot of drivers – since we’re talking specifically about Max and Lewis – have been very nice since I came into the sport. They also seem very helpful to be,” says the championship leader.

“It’s great to experience that. At the end of the day, we’re still competitors, so you still don’t want to give too much advice. But the relationship with them is nice“, says Antonelli finally.

George Russell is not busy with the Formula 1 world title. The Mercedes driver suffered an injury in Monaco thanks to a penalty, which meant he finished outside the points. Kimi Antonelli, teammate and championship leader, won his fifth race in a row.

“To be honest, it feels like the pressure is off now,” says Russell.I’m just going to try to enjoy every race.” Partly due to a failure in Canada and the consistent performance of Antonelli, the Russell is now in position 68 points behind his teammate in the title race.

“I’m not even thinking about a championship, that’s so far out of reach at the moment,” he says.What matters is that I have fundrive fast and do what I can. I have done that my entire career in Formula 1 and I am looking forward to it,” said Russell.

For the time being, defending the world title is not going as planned for Lando Norris. The McLaren driver dropped out again in Monaco with engine problems, after he could not start the race in China and dropped out in Canada with gearbox problems. The number 1 on his car seems to be disappearing soon.

“If things keep going wrong, you can’t build confidence in the car,” he explains. “You can’t try things. All this makes any title defense tentative quite impossible“, the driver honestly admits.

“None of us want to not finish races. We all want to give ourselves another chance to defend the constructors’ and drivers’ titles. But for the time being it is simply not possible,” Norris explains. The world champion is trying of head held high approach the upcoming races. “We have to keep working hard. It hurts, but that’s part of racing.”

The FIA ​​stewards have granted Alpine’s request to reassess the two five-second time penalties given to Pierre Gasly at the Monaco Grand Prix. The penalties ultimately cost the Frenchman a podium place. Gasly finished third in Monaco, but was dropped to seventh place.

The Alpine driver was not the only driver to be penalized for speeding in the pit lane. Six other riders were also penalized. Alpine was able to provide new evidence to the FIA ​​through the FOM observation system, which was only made public on Wednesday.

Alpine argued that ‘the FIA ​​and FOM, but not the stewards, were already aware of a problem with the measuring loops in the pit lane before the race’. The outcome could have far-reaching consequencesas other drivers have also been affected by the problem with the measuring system.

Formula 1 and the FIA ​​have extended their partnership with Pirelli. The Italian tire supplier has signed a new contract until the end of 2028. This will end the current collaboration extended by one year.

Pirelli has been the exclusive tire supplier to Formula 1 since 2011. This means that all teams use the same Pirelli tires. The contract was extended for the last time in 2023, meaning Pirelli remained the official tire partner until at least 2027. While Formula 1 is currently preparing for the Grand Prix in Barcelona it has been announced that the collaboration has been extended until the end of 2028.

,,I’m excited that the FIA ​​and we will continue this relationship for another year,” said F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali. “As we continue to push the boundaries of technical regulation, Pirelli gives the assurance that they are working with some of the most advanced tires in the world.”

Who is Max Verstappen cheering for during the Football World Cup starting today? “I of course hope that the Netherlands wins. But let’s see that first. There are so many strong countries active. Plus more countries than ever participating. So maybe we will see some surprises,” he said at the media day of the Barcelona GP, where he won his first race in Formula 1 exactly ten years ago.

“There are also some clear favorites, of course. I’ll go take a look. Or, try to see as much as possible, because there are a lot of competitions. And they’re quite late too. Or very early. It just depends on how you look at it. But above all I hope that it will be a fun tournament to watch.”

In Monaco Kimi Antonelli won his fifth race in a row. The Italian from Mercedes is firmly in the lead of the world championship, which he does not want to watch. “Because I want to keep enjoying itfocusing on what I have to do behind the wheel, without that World Cup position in my head. Although I also realize that there is a great opportunity for me is on the table,” Antonelli said in Barcelona, ​​where he did not want to dwell too long on his great victory in Monaco.

Only the party afterwards was briefly discussed. “I had a nice refreshing dip in the harbouralthough I don’t want to know what’s in the water there. It’s one of those moments you never forget. But Monaco is history again, now we move on to Barcelona. We want to repeat ourselves there, no matter how difficult that becomes.”

The Italian is hoping for more answers in Catalonia about what will be possible in the coming months, following recent upgrades in Canada. ,,This will be an interesting weekendbecause this is where we will really see whether the package we introduced in Canada really works. Under the cold conditions there you did not see our full potential. And neither does Monaco’s layout. Here we will see better what it will bring us.”

It could just be that Fernando Alonso this weekend is his 23rd and last GP of Barcelona drives. After all, the event will not be on the calendar next year, because it will rotate annually with Spa-Francorchamps after 2026. There will be a new race at the end of this summer Madrid to the calendar.

Alonso is ambassador of the race in Catalonia, Carlos Sainz has that role in Madrid. “Fortunately, our rivalry is not as great as in football. We are especially happy that we have two races in Spain now,” said Alonso.

“Barcelona ultimately remains the home race for all Spaniards, I tested here myself in 1994. And if something needs to be tested, we always do it here. Because we know this circuit very well. Madrid will soon become more of a one-off event. A race with a different approach that fits very well with the new direction that Formula 1 has taken, just like in Singapore, Miami, those kinds of destinations. That will be a really cool event. I think both races can coexist very well.”

On the press day in Barcelona Fernando Alonso as one of the Spanish home riders, there is little positive to report about the progress at Aston Martin. “It’s the same story every two weeks,” says Alonso. “We hope for improvement, which takes time, but you also have to perform every two weeks in Formula 1.”

No, he has more hopeful lyrics about football. Alonso, a great football fan, believes in Spanish World Cup success in North America. “I hope we can final to fetch. We are European champions and have a very strong team. I think so France is the biggest challenger, with a good team and many good players. But hey, a World Cup always has surprises.”

Kimi Antonelli achieved his fifth victory in a row in Formula 1 at the Monaco Grand Prix last weekend. But after the race, the Italian driver had no towel to wipe the sweat from his forehead. Because guess what? None other than Kim Kardashian had run off with his towel.

While the region around Barcelona experienced some showers earlier this week, this is no longer the case during the race weekend. The sun shines exuberantly and the temperature rises daily to tropical values ​​​​of more than 30 degrees, reports Weatheronline.

The weather pattern is almost identical on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The sun is shining brightly and at most some veil clouds pass over every now and then. Rain is not expected. This means that the teams have to deal with stable, but above all hot conditions.

The high temperatures and exuberant sun ensure that the asphalt heats up considerably. The temperature of the road surface can rise to well above 50 degrees in the afternoon. This has consequences for tire wear and once again makes tire management an important factor during the race.

Last year the weather also played a role in the tire strategy and this weekend the teams will also have to take that into account.

After months of dissatisfaction and consultation, the FIA ​​has reached an agreement on a gradual rebalance between the fuel engine and the electric motor. The 50-50 balance will be reduced to 60-40 in two years.

Welcome to our slow blog of the Barcelona-Catalunya GP. Here you can stay informed of everything that is happening off the track these days in Spain.