Brown wary of Antonelli in Miami: 'It's not a surprise to anybody'

01:14, 03 May

byNorberto Mujica

Not only does McLaren have to watch out for Max Verstappen, George Russell, Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton in F1. Mercedes rookie, Andrea Kimi Antonelli has stepped up as another challenger to McLaren, something the papaya team's CEO Zak Brown is not at all surprised by.

"I think we got another superstar in our hands that we're gonna have to deal with, which I don't think is a surprise to anybody," said Brown when in conversation with F1TV.

"It's good to see, Mercedes [have] been very quick all weekend," the American CEO added.

Mercedes a contender to McLaren in Miami?

McLaren have had a considerable margin over its rivals since the F1 season started. But, in Miami, Brown refrains from acknowledging that, even if he is, nonetheless, confident ahead of the Sprint race tomorrow.

"I wouldn't say [McLaren have] a big margin [over Mercedes], but our race pace looked good. But with these sprint weekends, you get very little time. They did a very long run, so probably trying to kind of figure out ride height and things of that nature."

"But we like the warm weather, we should be good for the sprint. Looking forward to the next qualifying and Sunday, of course," Brown added alluding to the superiority McLaren seem to exercise over its rivals in hot conditions.

Not Verstappen, or Russell, but Antonelli will Piastri and Norris in Miami

It's a first pole for Antonelli, the youngest ever driver to lead the field in a competitive F1 session, be it a Sprint or a Grand Prix. Whilst there may be a certain degree of pressure playing for Antonelli tomorrow, Brown notes, this can also work in the young Italian's favor.

"I think it's probably always nerve-wracking to start races but being on pole for your first race that probably gives you a little extra jitters but that can work for you as well."

"You get your adrenaline going and make sure you don't want to get it wrong so it's going to be an exciting first lap," Brown concluded.