Kimi Antonelli spies ‘challenge’ key to Mercedes’ Austrian GP victory bid

Kimi Antonelli believes Mercedes’ hopes of securing victory in the
Austrian GP lie in the challenge of being able to control tyre
temperatures in the European heatwave. Europe is currently in the
middle of a heatwave, which has triggered multiple ‘red’ weather
warnings, with the Austrian GP itself being declared a heat hazard
owing to the expected conditions. The track temperature throughout
Friday in Austria hit around 60 degrees Celsius, with the multiple
heavy traction zones placing further stress on the tyres. 
Antonelli, who topped both sessions ahead of George Russell and
Oscar Piastri, respectively, felt overcoming this challenge was key
to securing a strong result.  «It was a clean and productive day
for us. From FP1 onwards, I’ve felt comfortable in the car, which
gave us a good platform to work from as we built through the
sessions,» Antonelli explained.   «The hot conditions will continue
to make things quite challenging, particularly in terms of tyre
management.  «Keeping the tyres in the right working window without
overheating is important, so that’s an area we’ll continue to focus
on.   «We’ve gathered a lot of useful information, but there’s
still work to do, and the picture will likely evolve overnight. 
«We’ll analyse everything in detail and focus on making the right
improvements ahead of qualifying.»