By Alan Baldwin
AUSTIN, Texas, Oct 25 (Reuters) – Kimi Antonelli has given his Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff nine wins to get excited about this season but the Italian’s dominant drive from pole position at Sunday’s US Grand Prix took that to another level.
The 20-year-old, set to become the youngest ever Formula One champion in Mexico next weekend, won by more than 13 seconds on a one-stop strategy.
His teammate and closest title rival George Russell, now 123 points behind with 125 still to be won, started sixth and finished eighth — just enough to keep the championship hanging by a thread.
“On Kimi’s side the main headline is that for me (that’s) the best race that he’s delivered so far,” Wolff said.
“Getting off the start with the inferior tyre and then controlling it (the race) at all times. The race of a champion who isn’t the champion yet, but exceptional.
“I think he’s outperformed the car. His driving style just glues with the car.”
Wolff, reminded that Antonelli has had some special wins already this season including at his home Italian Grand Prix from the back of the grid as well as Monaco and Spa, accepted that sometimes he struggled to remember past races.
“Both of them were pretty good,” he said in reference to Monza. “But the headline, this is the best, we can keep.”
Antonelli was happy to agree with the boss.
“I think it was one of the best, because of how we built up during the weekend,” he told reporters. “And, you know, it was a great team effort as well today, especially with the strategy, believing in the one-stop. And, yeah, it was a really great team effort, and they all deserve this result today.
“Monza, we clearly had the fastest car. We were just super quick, so of course it was incredibly special coming from the back,” he added.
“But it was also a track where it was relatively easy to overtake, and we were so quick. But definitely, Monza was a super special one, and one that I will remember forever. But, you know, this one probably, in terms of execution, was better … the way we built the performance throughout the weekend was very good.”
(Reporting by Alan Baldwin; Editing by Chris Reese)
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