Kimi Antonelli reveals advice from Roger Federer to get back on track in F1 title fight

On the grass courts of Wimbledon or racing through the Belgian forests, what matters is staying in control.

Kimi Antonelli heads into the Belgian Grand Prix with a piece of advice he picked up recently from Roger Federer.

After a run of car problems cut into the Italian's Formula 1 standings lead, Antonelli's chat with the tennis great in the Royal Box at Wimbledon offered a fresh perspective on how to stop these blips turning into a slump.

“About pressure, he just told me to really focus one race at a time, just focus on what you can control, and also to control the emotions, especially the ones that can make you do mistakes,” Antonelli said Thursday.

“Those were the main pieces of advice. Other than that, it was an incredible experience to witness.”

So far, Antonelli seems to be staying focused, even as Ferrari's Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton threaten Mercedes' supremacy. Antonelli doesn't seem to have lost any of his race-winning pace, unlike last year, when his confidence hit rock-bottom after errors on the European tracks he was meant to know best.

“I just need to maximize every opportunity I get, what I have in control, and then we’ll see what the rest will be,” Antonelli said. “It's part of the sport and the team are doing a tremendous job to make sure that all these issues are not happening again.”

Instead, it's his more experienced Mercedes teammate George Russell who's struggling.

A second-place finish for Russell at the British Grand Prix was more about luck than speed, as he benefited from Antonelli's car trouble, a crash for Max Verstappen and a strategy blunder for Hamilton.

Russell cut Antonelli's lead to 25 points but said he felt “less satisfied” with that home podium finish than he had breaking down from the lead in Canada.

The fast, sweeping Belgian circuit has key similarities to Silverstone. That could pose a challenge to Russell and offer an opportunity to Ferrari.

Leclerc and Ferrari were surprised he had the pace to win in Britain and they've been working since then to understand what worked so well to deliver that pace this weekend, too.

Mercedes remains the team to beat and “should be a lot further ahead" in the standings by now, Hamilton told Sky Sports.

One driver who almost certainly won't be in contention for the win is Lando Norris. The defending champion comes into this week's race with a 10-place grid penalty after McLaren switched out a troublesome electrical part on his car.

Teammate Oscar Piastri spent Thursday stressing he trusts McLaren's assurances he'll stay with the team next year despite reported interest in signing Max Verstappen.

Four-time champion Verstappen left his future open Thursday but had warm words for Red Bull team boss Laurent Mekies, who started his tenure a year ago with a stunning win for Verstappen in a sprint in Belgium.

After Verstappen fumed at Red Bull's “dangerous” car after back-to-back crashes caused by rear wing failures, the team is going back to an older design this week, potentially affecting Verstappen's pace.

AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing

Mercedes driver George Russell of Britain walks in the drivers area ahead of the Formula One Grand Prix at the Spa-Francorchamps racetrack in Spa, Belgium, Thursday, July 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert)

Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton of Britain steps into his car in the team garage ahead of the Formula One Grand Prix at the Spa-Francorchamps racetrack in Spa, Belgium, Thursday, July 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Omar Havana)

Mercedes driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli of Italy walks in the drivers area ahead of the Formula One Grand Prix at the Spa-Francorchamps racetrack in Spa, Belgium, Thursday, July 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert)

F1 Mercedes driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli of Italy sits beside former tennis player Roger Federer of Switzerland in the Royal Box on day eight at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Monday, July 6, 2026.(AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

HONG KONG (AP) — An independent committee investigating the cause of Hong Kong’s deadliest fire in decades heard arguments on how improper practices that evaded regulatory oversight turned a small fire into a tragedy as the case neared its conclusion Friday.

The November blaze spread through seven buildings of an apartment complex, killing 168 people and displacing thousands of residents at Wang Fuk Court in the suburban Tai Po district. Many of the residents now live in temporary housing.

Committee lead lawyer Victor Dawes said the use of non-fire-retardant scaffolding netting was very likely a key reason for the fire's rapid spread at the complex, which was undergoing a major renovation project when the blaze started. Having wooden planks boarding up staircase windows caused plumes of smoke in residents’ escape routes, he said.

He said Will Power Architects Company, a consultancy, and Prestige Construction & Engineering Co., the main contractor on the project, cut corners in the work and the materials, in addition to deceiving regulators and homeowners, he said. Various substandard and improper practices were involved, including faked compliance of inspections. Certain professionals responsible for inspections signed documents like a “rubber stamp," he said.

Dawes also criticized the government’s reliance on an honor system in overseeing the project, saying relevant departments should bear responsibility.

“When faced with dishonest bad actors, the entire system collapsed,” he said.

Several residents wept during the hearing that was concluded Friday.

On Thursday, Lawyer Jenkin Suen, representing the government, acknowledged some systemic vulnerabilities but said it would be unfair to say government departments were the instigators of the fire. Some professionals and contractors abused a mechanism that aimed to protect the public and betrayed the trust placed in them, he said.

Jeffrey Tam, a lawyer for nine residents of the Wang Fuk Court, noted some residents decided to give evidence despite being distressed by the tragedy.

“But we heard some witnesses appear that they just wanted to to be shirking responsibility," he said. “So sometimes I also understand why they could not hold back their anger."

He added deflecting responsibility like this would not help the city find out the truth.

The investigating committee led by High Court judge David Lok is expected to give recommendations after reviewing the fire’s cause, potential systemic problems and whether existing regulations and penalties are sufficient. When the committee's findings will be released is not known.

But its scope of work does not include possible legal liabilities, which will be handled by law enforcement authorities.

Last month, Hong Kong authorities charged seven people and two companies in June with offenses including manslaughter and conspiracy to defraud over the fire. The companies include Will Power and Prestige Construction & Engineering Co.

Tony Tsui Moon-come, former chairperson of the management committee of the Incorporated Owners of Tai Po Wang Fuk Court, arrives for the closing submissions at the Independent Commission investigation hearing into last year's Tai Po deadly fire, in Hong Kong, Friday, July 17, 2026. (AP Photo/May James)

Members of Independant Commission team arrives for the closing submissions at the Independent Commission investigation hearing into last year's Tai Po deadly fire, in Hong Kong, Friday, July 17, 2026. (AP Photo/May James)

Member of the public arrives for the closing submissions at the Independent Commission investigation hearing into last year's Tai Po deadly fire, in Hong Kong, Friday, July 17, 2026. (AP Photo/May James)

David Lok, chairman of the Independent Committee, arrives for the closing submissions at the Independent Commission investigation hearing into last year's Tai Po deadly fire, in Hong Kong, Friday, July 17, 2026. (AP Photo/May James)

Jenkin Suen, counsel for the Hong Kong government, arrives for the closing submissions at the Independent Commission investigation hearing into last year's Tai Po deadly fire, in Hong Kong, Friday, July 17, 2026. (AP Photo/May James)