Bernie Collins explains key factor behind Kimi Antonelli's F1 Belgian GP win

Bernie Collins praised Kimi Antonelli’s maturity and composure after the Mercedes driver overcame a poorly timed virtual safety car to win the Belgian GP

Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli has been lauded for his maturity following a hard-fought victory at the Belgian Grand Prix, with former Formula 1 strategist and Sky Sports analyst Bernie Collins pointing to the vital role of his race engineer, Peter 'Bono' Bonnington.

Starting from pole position at Spa-Francorchamps, Antonelli delivered another strong performance to claim his sixth victory of the season. But his path to the top step of the podium was not entirely straightforward.

A poorly timed virtual safety car threatened to derail the Italian driver's afternoon, allowing Ferrari's Charles Leclerc to capitalise on a cheap pitstop and briefly take the lead.

Despite missing the optimal pit window by just two laps, Antonelli remained level-headed and ultimately converted pole position into another win. Speaking on Sky Sports F1 following the race, Collins explained: "He's really embraced the calm influence of Bono, his race engineer.

"Bono was telling him at several points, 'This is where you can find time, this is where you can improve.'

"Really strong drive from Kimi. He stayed with the team, didn't get frustrated, that's another race where he just missed the VSC, pitting two laps before it came out. He knows that's the luck of the draw. You can't predict that from the team's side.

Kimi Antonelli, Peter Bonnington

Photo by: Reginald Mathalone / NurPhoto via Getty Images

"He stayed calm. In previous races, Kimi might have felt disgruntled ending up behind Charles Leclerc. He managed to stick with it, stayed with the strategy, took the information from Bono and got that car to the lead position that it probably deserved through that race."

Antonelli, who extended his lead in the drivers' championship, described the win as hard-fought while speaking to 1997 champion Jacques Villeneuve directly after the race.

"It’s great to be back on the top step after obviously a few difficult rounds," the 19-year-old said. "It was a hard-fought race. We lost first place with a VSC, but then we managed to make our way back.

"It was a tough win because Charles was quick and we had to hold on to him."