Kimi Antonelli’s pole position dreams crumbled after a chaotic first lap and a Red Bull pit stop error, leaving him furious with the results.
Kimi Antonelli started from pole position today, but the Italian lost his lead to Oscar Piastri in the first corner.
Clearly frustrated, the Mercedes F1 driver saw his chances of scoring points slip away, largely due to Max Verstappen.
“It was a great opportunity, but I’m a bit disappointed with how the first lap unfolded,” Antonelli said. “It seems like that’s how things are now – you can do whatever you want, so that’s something to remember for next time. It’s really a shame, but luckily we have qualifying ahead to bounce back.”
Regarding the pit stop error involving Red Bull, Antonelli shared his thoughts.
“I did my best to avoid Max, but the mistake is clearly on their side. What’s important is that there’s nothing to blame Max for; he was just following team orders,” he explained.
“As soon as I saw him coming out, I tried to avoid the incident because it could’ve been very dangerous for the mechanics. So, I’m glad it ended up okay.”
“That mistake certainly ruined my race further, but at the point I was at, I just have to forget about it and think about the next steps. As Toto (Wolff) said, it was just a small race, and some people behaved… small.”
Mercedes Team Principal Toto Wolff wasn’t impressed by what he witnessed.
“If this were the main race, it would have been really frustrating. But I’m surprised by the complete lack of judgment from Red Bull. There’s no way he should have been released without considering safety. Someone panicked on their side!” Wolff said.
Speaking about Antonelli’s first corner move, Wolff added, “It sets a bad precedent. You can’t just release the brake and push someone. You need to leave room for other cars, but it was clear he pushed him off in the first corner.”
“This is Kimi’s sixth race, and he learned the lesson: that’s what you have to do. I don’t entirely agree with it, but that’s how things have been allowed to unfold for years.”
George Russell, who started fifth and finished in the same position, lost two places to Lewis Hamilton and Alex Albon. The British driver lamented the timing of his pit stop but still enjoyed the Miami Sprint.
“It was fun; I didn’t want to pit too early, but there was a lot of risk, and the rewards weren’t huge. We could’ve gained four more points, so it’s a bit frustrating to lose places to Lewis and Alex. But the Sprint is really a warm-up for qualifying, and I’m happy it was more fun than usual,” Russell said.
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Antonelli Furious After Piastri, Red Bull Pit Stop Drama Antonelli Furious After Piastri, Red Bull Pit Stop Drama
