After appearing to be “walking on water” at Montsa, promising Italian Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli faces a completely different challenge at the Spanish Grand Prix this week as he seeks to continue his record run towards the Formula One World Championship title.
Last Sunday, the 20-year-old driver became the first Italian to win his local race at the Monza circuit since 1966, but this time he will enter uncharted territory with the Spanish capital hosting a Formula One race for the first time since June 1981, when Canadian legend Gilles Villeneuve won for the Ferrari team at the Jarama Circuit.
Sunday's race will be held on the newly completed Madring circuit, which was built in an exhibition center near Barajas Airport.
The race represents the final round of the European section of the season, and will be the second race held in Spain this year after the Catalunya Prix last May.
The circuit is not expected to be boring or predictable, as its very fast first sector includes a series of medium and slow-speed turns, including 90-degree turns that are expected to cause accidents.
Dutch Red Bull driver Max Verstappen, the four-time world champion, whose morale rose after finishing third last week, when Austrian Mercedes team manager Toto Wolff predicted that Antonelli would “walk on water” on his way to victory starting from nineteenth place in Montsa, said that he expected a large number of accidents and stops.
“It will be very difficult,” Verstappen said after testing the track via the simulator. It's not an easy track. When you drive several successive laps, it is always difficult to cross the finish line and say: I mastered this lap.”
He added: “It is very difficult, and it has a tendency to cause major collisions in some locations.”
The new asphalt will add more challenges to the circuit, as it may provide limited grip, but the turn known as “La Monumental”, which is a fast inclined horseshoe-shaped turn, is expected to be the focus of attention.
This turn is 550 meters long, and includes a peak that blocks the view at the exit.
“The track characteristics are much closer to circuits like Budapest or Zandvoort, so we expect a very competitive weekend,” Wolff said.
Mercedes won nine of the first thirteen races this season.
Of these nine victories, Antonelli achieved seven victories, which is a record for an Italian in one season, while his title rival and colleague at Mercedes, the Briton George Russell, who is currently trailing by 66 points, won two races.
As for the other races, they were won by McLaren driver and British world champion Lando Norris twice, in addition to Ferrari drivers Charles Leclerc from Monaco and British Lewis Hamilton, seven-time world champion.
Ferrari visited the Madrid circuit in July during a day dedicated to filming when it was still incomplete.
“The weather was very hot and the track was very dusty,” said Hamilton, who is third in the drivers’ standings but is now 76 points behind Antonelli. “It seems to be the type of track that is decided in qualifying... There are not really many straights, so it will be difficult to make overtakes.”
Madrid-born Williams driver Carlos Sainz, who is the circuit's ambassador, supported Verstappen's opinion, expecting to see many safety car interventions and red and yellow flags raised.
Sainz and Fernando Alonso carry the hopes of the local fans, but without much confidence after a series of disappointing results that indicate that surprises may be limited.
However, this is unlikely to affect the huge crowd attendance, as the number of spectators is expected to exceed 350,000 throughout the weekend.
The Red Bull team will miss the services of its French driver, Isaac Hajjar, who is recovering from a broken wrist, for the third race in a row, as New Zealander Liam Lawson will continue to replace him, while Japanese Yuki Tsunoda will continue to drive in his place in the Racing Bulls team.
This will be the first new circuit to enter the championship calendar since the inclusion of the Las Vegas Circuit three years ago. It is also the sixth circuit to host the Spanish Grand Prix, and the 78th among the various circuits that have hosted Formula One races since 1950.
