Kimi Antonelli has admitted George Russell’s now-famous “stai calmo” radio message after qualifying in Austria was indeed directed at his Mercedes teammate. After taking pole at the Red Bull Ring, Russell celebrated over the radio with the Italian phrase “stai calmo” (“stay calm”), prompting speculation he was teasing Antonelli after the championship leader abandoned his final lap under yellow flags.
Russell later insisted there was “absolutely nothing intentional” about the message.
But Antonelli smiled when asked about it at Silverstone.
“Should I make one up for him?” the Italian joked. “Let’s see if I can work one out.
“Anyway, I don’t think too much about what he said, even though we know why he said it.”
The 19-year-old is now preparing for what he expects to be one of Russell’s strongest weekends of the season – off the back of his resurgent Austrian GP win.
“Silverstone is kind of a home race for the whole team, but above all, it’s Russell’s weekend, it’s his track,” Antonelli said.
He admitted the fast, flowing British circuit should naturally favour his teammate.
“I don’t want to go onto the track thinking about beating Russell at all costs, because with this approach I’d end up focusing only on that goal, losing sight of the bigger picture,” he explained.
“It’s clear that finishing ahead of him in his home race would be a good sign, but it’s not just a question of nationality.
“Here we’re talking about the characteristics of the track. On paper, this circuit should be better suited to his driving style.
“I therefore hope that the work done in the simulator and the commitment I’m putting in can make the difference, because it would be a much more important result in terms of the championship than for the individual placing.”
Antonelli, who leads Russell by 40 points after Austria, admitted he had hoped for more than third place last weekend.
“Obviously, I wasn’t happy,” he said. “It bothered me to come so close to the top two without having a couple more laps to play my cards.
“It would have been nice to try, but the race lasts 71 laps, and that’s just how it went.”
