Antonelli ready to showcase brutal side: 'Nobody does you any favours'
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Andrea Kimi Antonelli will make his debut at Mercedes next season, but the youngster knows he is not going to be making friends with the drivers on track in Formula 1. The Mercedes Junior Driver talks positively about Max Verstappen and their conversation so far, though he knows there are no friendly favours on track.
Is Antonelli ready to battle the likes of Verstappen?
Antonelli has stated he gets on well with some of the F1 drivers already, including his future teammate George Russell. The Italian has also spoken to Verstappen. "I have spoken to him a few times and he is a great guy, I like him a lot. We have also raced against each other in the simulator and he follows the lower categories very closely. On the track he is seen as very tough, but outside he is very easygoing, very normal," he said at the Festival dello Sport, organised by La Gazzetta dello Sport.
When asked if friendships are possible between competitors, Antonelli said: "Off the track yes, but on the track no. Nobody does you any favours and that is not the intention. You are only racing for yourself."
Antonelli: 'Important to stay calm'
Antonelli was announced as Hamilton's replacement in Italy earlier in the season, but it's not fully sunk in yet. "I don't quite realise it yet, maybe that will come in Melbourne. It will be very exciting, but at the moment I'm just thinking about how I can work on myself. It will be very important to stay calm," said the future replacement for Lewis Hamilton.
Antonelli had a rocky start to his F1 career after crashing out in a practice session at Monza. Now that his seat has been announced, the Italian plans to stay calm at his first Grand Prix. "You try not to think about anything but what you have to do, you concentrate on the start and try to visualise the different situations. The butterflies in your stomach will be there, but I try to concentrate on what I have to do."
This article was written in collaboration with Nicole Mulder.
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