Kimi Antonelli is far ahead, says Lewis Hamilton of his title chances
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Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton is third in the Formula One drivers’ standings after eight rounds.
PHOTO: REUTERS
SILVERSTONE – Lewis Hamilton has jokingly suggested he might have to sneak into the Mercedes garage and sabotage their cars to have a realistic hope of winning a record eighth Formula One title.
The Ferrari driver is third in the standings after eight rounds – buoyed by his win in Barcelona – but 46 points behind Mercedes' championship leader Kimi Antonelli.
"Other than me going into the Mercedes garage and undoing the bolts," said the Briton on Thursday when asked what he had to do to make it a championship-winning year and whether it was realistic to considered him a title contender.
"I mean, Mercedes is a phenomenal team. You're seeing them perform at such an amazing level.”
Hamilton, who won six of his seven titles with Mercedes, added of his former employers: "It's really beautiful to see when a team is fully in synergy and what they've brought and what they've done this year is mighty.
“I think it's going to take a huge amount for anyone to close them down.”
Mercedes have won seven of eight grands prix this season and started every race on pole position.
Italian Antonelli, 19, won five in a row -- a sequence ended by Hamilton's first Ferrari win in Spain last month.
That win, and two second places in the races immediately before that, revived talk of Hamilton challenging for a record eighth title.
"We as a team have to just continue to believe, continue to just stay calm," continued Hamilton, also a record nine-time British Grand Prix winner, ahead of his home race at Silverstone on Sunday.
"We just have to extract everything we can from each weekend and even, if possible, a little bit more than what performance-wise is possible.
"It's also too early (to talk about the title). I mean, Kimi is far ahead, there is still a lot of points ahead and he pulled some more points ahead in the last race. But it’s not over till it’s over. Every single person is so geared up and pushing as much as they can, so that’s all I can ever ask for."
Antonelli finished third in Austria last Sunday, a race won by Mercedes teammate George Russell, while Hamilton was fifth.
Mercedes team chief Toto Wolff meanwhile, urged Russell to dump his emotions and remain cool and balanced ahead of his home race.
The Briton has overcome a series of setbacks in recent weeks to leap into second place 40 points behind Antonelli in the drivers’ title race.
“We need to keep a sense of perspective,” said Wolff.
“It’s like one weekend we’re the greatest and we are world champions and this is all fantastic... and then the next, five days later, is the big depression, and that ‘everything is s**t and the upgrade didn’t work or the engine is not what we wanted’.”
Wolff warned that his team must keep an eye on the long term.
“Some you win, some you score solid points and some you lose,” he added.
“Last week, if you had spoken about George, 36 hours before the race, we would have said ‘this campaign is really not going well and is he ever going to recover?’
“And now, suddenly, he’s the real deal! Let’s keep a sense of trajectory. It’s important. I have never had any doubt that this drivers’ championship will go very long... it is important to keep on scoring points.” REUTERS, AFP