Charles Leclerc kept Kimi Antonelli "honest" in Belgian GP, says Naomi Schiff

Naomi Schiff praised Kimi Antonelli’s composed Belgian Grand Prix victory while noting Charles Leclerc’s efforts to keep the Mercedes driver under pressure

Sky Sports F1 pundit Naomi Schiff has commended Kimi Antonelli for a "solid and well-deserved" drive to victory at the Belgian Grand Prix, while noting how entertaining it was to see Charles Leclerc keep the race winner on his toes.

Antonelli secured his sixth grand prix victory of the season at Spa-Francorchamps after starting from pole position and fending off Ferrari driver Leclerc throughout multiple virtual safety car periods and a full safety car period.

Speaking after the chequered flag during the Sky Sports F1 broadcast, Schiff admitted she had initially expected a wider winning margin for the Italian driver, but felt the tight battle at the front added to the entertainment.

"Fantastic day for Kimi. Look, I think if anything, I may have expected his lead to be expanded by a little bit more than it was," the former W Series driver explained.

"Of course, Charles had the advantage of the VSC for his pitstop, but he did manage to keep him quite honest, and that was quite entertaining to see how much the other teams were able to keep them honest.

"But a fantastic job from Kimi, no mistakes made from his side again and just another solid and well-deserved drive."

Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes

Photo by: Andy Hone/ LAT Images via Getty Images

Schiff argued that Antonelli has the benefit of having total belief in his Mercedes machinery, which helps give him more of an edge over his rivals.

"That's the beauty of having that little extra bit of pace that you can rely on," she added. "It just takes the pressure off things a little bit and means that you don't have to go over the edge of the car, over the limit of the tyres to be able to deliver that kind of comeback and fightback to claim that victory."

Antonelli's win in Belgium has extended his lead in the drivers' championship to 45 points over Lewis Hamilton, who took second after George Russell retired from the race. It is worth noting that, at the time of writing, Hamilton is under investigation for a potential unsafe release.