Kimi Antonelli admitted that extending his winning streak to six races at the Barcelona‑Catalunya Grand Prix will be "not going to be easy" after Friday’s practice sessions revealed a tighter battle with McLaren. The 19‑year‑old missed Free Practice 1 while Mercedes test driver Fred Vesti took the rookie stint, and he could only manage fifth in FP2, more than half a second off teammate George Russell.
Russell topped the timesheets in FP1 and, despite a strong showing, found himself sandwiched between McLaren’s Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri in the afternoon session, with just 0.057 seconds separating the trio. Antonelli highlighted tyre overheating as a key issue, noting the difficulty of extracting a single‑lap performance in the heat. Mercedes Deputy Team Principal Bradley Lord echoed the concern, saying tyre temperatures could dictate qualifying and that the race may see multiple stops as teams chase the optimal setup.
Antonelli enters Barcelona with five consecutive victories and a 66‑point lead in the Drivers' Championship, but the emerging parity suggests a hard‑fought qualifying and a strategic race will be essential to maintain his momentum.
.webp)
