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Damon Hill believes Kimi Antonelli has the right mindset to compete for the drivers’ championship and doesn’t need to be protected by the team.
Antonelli’s win at the Japanese Grand Prix allowed him to leapfrog George Russell and become the youngest championship leader in Formula One history.
Russell’s frustration with Mercedes was evident at Suzuka, as he felt he wasn’t set up to win the race and maximise his lead over the rest of the pack.
No Mercedes one-two in Japan!
Oscar Piastri takes second, with Charles Leclerc third
His P4 finish this weekend has caused some to question whether Russell has the tools to be a champion in Formula One.
Meanwhile, Kimi Antonelli has emerged as a serious contender. And any notion that Mercedes need to protect him in a potential title fight with George Russell has been dismissed by Damon Hill.
READ MORE: Martin Brundle urges George Russell to treat Kimi Antonelli like peak Lewis Hamilton in title fight
Damon Hill believes Kimi Antonelli is confident in potential title race
Speaking on the Chequered Flag podcast, Damon Hill was asked whether Mercedes would be better off protecting Kimi Antonelli from a potential title fight with George Russell.
Hill shut down that idea, noting that Antonelli will be extremely confident after the Japanese Grand Prix now that he leads the championship.
“How can he protect him? Kimi is 19, he’s not stupid. He knows where he is. He knows that he’s now leading the world championship. If you’re telling me that the racing driver goes to bed at night and thinks, ‘Oh well, it’s probably a long shot, so I’ll put that out of my mind.’
“He will be going to bed thinking, ‘I put one over on my teammate in the second season of Formula One, and things are looking up. We’re going to be fighting for the world championship between the two of us anyway. So yeah, crack on.’ That’s what he’ll be thinking.”
Antonelli’s rise has put Toto Wolff in a difficult position. And unlike previous years, Mercedes cannot use their strategy for Lewis Hamilton with Kimi Antonelli and George Russell.
READ MORE: Jacques Villeneuve points out Mercedes’ big problem that no one else is talking about
Change Riccardo Patrese’s mind… Explain why George Russell is good enough to be an F1 world champion 👇
Damon Hill claims Mercedes have no reason to worry about season hiatus
Speaking further about Mercedes, Damon Hill rejected the notion that Mercedes are going to be the ‘big losers’ of this upcoming hiatus, as other teams have to catch up to them.
“I don’t think they’ll be big losers in anything this year. I think they’ve started very well and I think they have a little bit more in hand. So they’re playing from a position of advantage over everyone, I think.
“So the rest of them will be trying to catch up. As you know, with Formula One, even if there’s a break in the proceedings, there was a break over Christmas as well.
“But that just gave Mercedes more of a chance to get ahead. So you’ve got to go faster than everyone else in development, and that’s a massive, massive job.”
However, Hill did note Mercedes have to be worried about the performances McLaren and Ferrari put on at Suzuka, as they looked very competitive.
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