Antonelli: It is important to maintain or raise your level.

      Kimi Antonelli arrived in Miami as the championship leader and hopes to maintain this position until the end of the year…

      Kimi Antonelli: “I managed to win in China and Japan, and now we have a new start here, and I am ready for the fight. I know it won’t be easy, so it’s important to maintain or improve my level.

      It’s nice to be back on the track where I secured my first pole last year by winning the qualifying for the sprint. We have an interesting weekend ahead; we brought very few updates, while our competitors have prepared extensive improvements. We’ll see what happens in the end. They will surely get closer, and we might have a tight battle.

      Ferrari and McLaren have great pace, and Red Bull will be closing the gap. As for me, I try to focus on each race. I don’t think about the final goal or the championship; I just think about one race at a time.

      I am surrounded by a really good group of people, including Bono. [Peter Bonnington – chief race engineer and Antonelli's engineer] First of all, he helps me stay afloat, and then he tries to guide me, as he has vast experience.

      With George, I have a very strong and fast teammate. The competitors will be getting closer, so I need to keep raising the bar and achieving the best results. It’s clear that my goal is to maintain this position until the end of the year, but it won’t be easy.”