Despite early contact and a wounded Mercedes, rookie star Kimi Antonelli digs deep to secure more points in an already impressive debut season.
Kimi Antonelli continued his impressive debut season in Formula 1 by finishing eighth at the Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai, once again bringing points home for Mercedes. But despite another solid result, the young Italian wasn’t entirely satisfied—especially seeing his teammate step onto the podium in third place.
His race, however, was compromised from the very first lap.
“It was a tough race after I picked up damage to my floor on lap one,” Antonelli explained. “I ran over debris from Leclerc’s front wing, and that really hurt my performance. I struggled a lot with rear grip after that, which I honestly wasn’t expecting. It definitely held back my pace, but it was a valuable learning experience trying to manage the situation.”
Still, he managed to bring the car home in P8—a result he says he’s content with, even if it wasn’t the goal heading into the weekend.
“I think we can be pleased to score points in eighth, even if that’s not where we wanted to be. I’m also really grateful to the fans for voting me Driver of the Day. I didn’t see that coming at all, considering how the race unfolded—but it means a lot to feel that support.”
Maybe he’s being a little too hard on himself?
“Overall, I’m happy with how the season has started—not just for me, but for the team too. One of the biggest areas I’m focusing on is qualifying. If I can put it all together on Saturdays, we can start higher up, avoid early-race incidents, and really unlock the car’s pace.”
Looking ahead, Antonelli is eager to reset and get ready for the next triple-header.
“I can’t wait to get back to work and come back strong for the next stretch in Japan, Bahrain, and Saudi Arabia.”
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Debris Drama Can’t Stop Antonelli’s Point-Scoring Run
Debris Drama Can’t Stop Antonelli’s Point-Scoring Run
