Kimi Antonelli explains Mercedes gravel shock at home Italian GP
Kimi Antonelli took a spin through the gravel during FP2 ahead of the Italian Grand Prix.
A promising Friday for Kimi Antonelli at his home Italian GP came to an early end after he lost control of his Mercedes in Lesmo 2 in the first 10 minutes of FP2.
Antonelli explained that, despite the off-road excursion, his “confidence is high” for a strong qualifying result.
Kimi Antonelli explains Italian GP gravel excursion
Within the first 10 minutes of Free Practice 2 leading up to the Italian Grand Prix, Formula 1’s only Italian driver saw his session come to a premature end.
Kimi Antonelli had completed just four laps around the Monza circuit in the second session of the day when he lost control of his Mercedes in Lesmo 2 and spun into the gravel.
“I’m beached,” Antonelli reported to the team over the radio. “Sorry about that.”
The incident required a red flag to clear the Mercedes from the gravel; during that time, Antonelli returned to the team garage to begin preparations for Saturday’s running.
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“I pushed a bit too hard for the grip in the moment and, yeah, it was a shame,” Antonelli told F1TV after the conclusion of the session.
“Day was looking good, I had a good FP1, and the start of FP2 was looking strong. Confidence still high, just obviously tomorrow I will have to do a bit of a different program but will try to be ready for anything.
“I felt pretty confident. We were moving in the right direction with the set-up.
“Obviously it’s a shame to miss laps, but my side, I tried to get ready to deliver the best job tomorrow.”
Antonelli noted that “quali is going to be very tight” at this circuit, with 10 drivers all within four-tenths of a second. But he’s hoping the “amazing” atmosphere will power him through to a strong result.
Indeed, the Italian driver had strong pace in FP1, setting the fifth-quickest time after completing 25 laps.
However, Antonelli’s Mercedes teammate George Russell has a feeling qualifying will present some challenges.
“It was a tricky day, to be honest,” Russell admitted. “It didn’t feel spectacular out there for us today.
“It’s obviously very close. I think on the leaderboard I was P10 but only three-tenths off. Usually three-tenths off would be just behind the McLarens.”
Free Practice 3 provides one further opportunity for the Mercedes duo to find its footing ahead of Saturday afternoon’s qualifying session, but it’s all to play for.
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