Will Kimi Antonelli shake things up at Mercedes after his first Formula 1 race victory? RTL expert Christian Danner gives a clear answer to this before the Japanese Grand Prix in Suzuka. The former F1 driver also sees a big gap in the premier class that is particularly hurting Max Verstappen.
Is Formula 1 facing a new “Star Wars” à la Hamilton vs. Rosberg? Andrea Kimi Antonelli traveled from Shanghai to Japan with plenty of hope after the first Grand Prix victory of his career.
Will the 19-year-old Italian succeed in his next coup on the high-speed track at Suzuka? Is Antonelli already ready to shake the balance of power at Mercedes and the position of top dog George Russell?
While former vice world champion Ricardo Patrese suspects that Russell “may not be able to sleep anymore” because of his fast Silver Arrows rival, RTL expert Christian Danner is much more reserved.
“If you look closely, Russell also clearly dominated the race in China, where he didn’t win,” said Danner on RTL/ntv and sport.de: “He was faster in every training session, significantly faster than Antonelli. I think that will be the same in Japan.”
At the Chinese GP, Russell dictated events until qualifying on Saturday. In Q3 his Mercedes suddenly broke down.
The Brit was lucky that he was able to complete a lap shortly before the end and finished second behind Antonelli, who took advantage of the moment and became the youngest pole sitter in F1 history. On Sunday, the 19-year-old converted the pole into his first career victory.
Formula 1-less April a “redemption” for McLaren and Red Bull
Overall, there is a “very clear picture” in Formula 1 before the Japanese GP, analyzed Danner: “Mercedes dominates, Ferrari is close.”
McLaren will come behind silver and red, “if they drive,” the ex-Formula 1 driver said, referring to the double failure of the Papaya racers in China. Due to technical defects, neither world champion Lando Norris nor Oscar Piastri started the race there on Sunday.
There is a big gap behind McLaren, “a big gap in the midfield, where Red Bull can be found at the moment,” says Danner Max Verstappen, who doesn’t see him in a good position.
The RTL commentator does not expect anything to change in the Formula 1 balance of power in Japan. “I think we’ll find Russell and Antonelli on the front row there again.”
After the Japanese GP, the premier racing class will take a break in April; the races on the Persian Gulf in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia were canceled because of the Iran war.
Video: Verstappen’s F1 exit? That’s what Danner says
According to Danner, in addition to bottom-placed Aston Martin, the cancellations from two (supposedly) top teams also come at just the right time. “It’s a relief for McLaren and Red Bull to be able to do their homework somehow. McLaren has obviously completely underestimated a lot of things. It can’t be the case that you can’t get a car on the starting grid because of technical problems. There’s a lot of catching up to do. The same applies to Red Bull. And this little break that has occurred is of course worth its weight in gold.”
