Championship leader Kimi Antonelli celebrates on the podium after fighting back from a grid penalty to finish third for Mercedes at the Hungarian Grand Prix. Photo: AFP
World Championship leader Kimi Antonelli said he was proud of his and Mercedes’ damage-limitation efforts on Sunday after he finished third to extend his advantage in the Hungarian Grand Prix.
The 19-year-old Italian battled for a podium finish, having been hit with a grid penalty that dropped him to seventh place after a yellow-flag infringement in qualifying.
"I think it’s a good result," he said. "It was damage limitation after yesterday and we really had to fight for it because this weekend we struggled a little bit overall, but also other teams, like Ferrari and McLaren, brought upgrades, so it was kind of expected."
Antonelli has six wins this season and extended his championship lead over seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton of Ferrari by five points to 50, and to 59 ahead of his teammate George Russell.
