During the Drivers’ Press Conference ahead of the F1 Azerbaijan GP, Kimi Antonelli reflected on his disappointing weekend at the Italian GP.
The young Mercedes Driver did not have a clean weekend at the Italian GP, starting the weekend by crashing out of FP2. Antonelli had a bad race start and despite making up positions, he recived a 5-second penalty after pushing Williams driver Alex Albon onto the grass, ultimately finishing P9.
Kimi Antonelli reflects on Toto Wolff’s comments following the F1 Italian GP
After the Italian GP, Mercedes Team Principal Toto Wolff summarised Antonelli’s weekend as “underwhelming.” During the drivers press conference, the Italian driver was asked his thoughts on the comments.
The 19-year-old was left on the back foot as he missed race simulations in FP2. He struggled for pace on the hard tyre in the second stint at his home Grand Prix.
“Well, I think I pretty much understand his comment.
“Me and Toto are always very open with each other, and we talk to each other quite openly. I think it was mainly about the race.
“Qualifying was actually pretty good, despite the off in FP2.
“But then in the race, especially on the Hard tyre, I struggled a little bit.
“Also, I made a mistake at the start. So, I think it was mainly related to the race, which I agree wasn’t the best.
“But I took it positively – as fuel to do even better for this race weekend.”
How Antonelli can improve at the F1 Azerbaijan GP this weekend
Kimi Antonelli discussed how he can improve on the Baku City Street Circuit, using Wolff’s previous comments as “fuel” for the F1 Azerbaijan GP.
“First of all, just trying to have clean sessions.
“In Monza I went off in FP2 super early and ended up not doing long runs. I went completely blind into the race, didn’t get to feel the car on high fuel at all.
“It was a bit difficult because I had to learn in the moment, and on the hard I just struggled to find my rhythm, so that was not ideal.
“But the speed in qualifying was much better in Monza, so hopefully we can carry this into this weekend as well.
“The main goal is just to have clean sessions and get as many laps as possible in the bag and then deliver the job in quali and in the race.”
Antonelli was out of FP2 after only 10 minutes, losing precious running time on high fuel and having to learn and adapt as he completed laps during the race.
“The converstation was pretty clear” Antonelli on what Wolff wants him to do differently at the F1 Azerbaijan GP
The 19-year old discussed the converstations between himself and Toto Wolff regarding his new approach for the Azerbaijan GP.
“In Monza, why he felt the race was underwhelming, which I agree with, is because, especially on the hard, I made a lot of driving mistakes.
“As I said before, I was struggling to find my rhythm and I was trying different things, but I ended up making a few mistakes.
“For sure, he doesn’t want that to happen again, because in the race I lost a lot of time.
“The conversation was pretty clear; he just wants me to have a clean weekend to regain the momentum I had.
“For example, in the first seven races of the season, because the European season has been quite tough. Now I’m really looking forward to the last part of the season again out of Europe, it’s always a bit more calm and I have a bit more time for myself.
“I’m really looking forward to clean weekends and getting back the momentum, and that’s what the team wants.”
Kimi Antonelli is currently P8 in the drivers standings, four positions behind his Mercedes teammate George Russell. The Italian is hopeful that he can improve and earn the team valuable points during the last 8 races of the season.
