Mercedes have a gem on their hands in rookie sensation Kimi Antonelli but even the 18-year-old knows he still has some growing up to do as he adjusts to life in Formula 1
It was perhaps fitting, as his schoolmates watched on, that young Kimi Antonelli was taught an important lesson at Imola. The Italian teenager, born and raised 20 miles north-west of the circuit in Bologna, admitted that he may have let the occasion get to him.
He has been mightily impressive for the most part in this maiden season as a Formula 1 driver. But he was off his game throughout the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix weekend – and he was quick to hold his hands up and admit it after the race.
“I absolutely loved the support of the fans, but on my side, I didn’t manage my energy that well and that definitely compromised my performance on track,” the 18-year-old said. “But it was a really good lesson because I could feel it, I was not as relaxed and a bit more tense while driving.”
It is unusual for any driver not representing Ferrari to be so well received by the locals at an Italian race. But, particularly in the Emilia-Romagna region, Mercedes racer Antonelli is one of their own and was greeted as such by the 242,000-strong crowd over the course of the three days of track action.
And he made the most of the occasion. Teachers and friends from his school were invited along, while he also revelled in the celebrations as his hometown club, Bologna FC, won the Italian Cup on the Wednesday night before his duties at the track began.
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But he now knows that he needs to reign it in if he is to produce his best the next time he races in his homeland. He said: “Ahead of the next home race, it was a really good lesson. Now, I’m focused on Monaco because I need to be on top of my game.”
Despite the mistakes he made, it was not Antonelli’s fault that he had nothing to show for the weekend. He was on track to score points when, in the latter stages of the race, he suffered throttle problems which forced him to pull over at the side of the track.
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“It was a shame to finish like this,” he sighed. “I started to have issues with the throttle and had less power on the straights. It was a bit inconsistent as well because one lap, the power was okay, and then another lap I was losing a lot. It was not easy, and then unfortunately it went off completely.
“It’s a shame to end up like this and now we need to review what happened this whole weekend, to be back stronger in Monaco.” He knows, though, that he was not the best version of himself at Imola, adding: “It was probably my worst weekend, in terms of performance.”
Sunday’s race may prove to have been Antonelli’s first and last in an F1 car at the Imola circuit he knows so well. It is out of contract with F1 this year and calendar constraints mean it is unlikely to land an extension, despite calls from drivers for the sport to try to find a way to continue to visit.
“It will be a shame to not have Imola on the calendar anymore,” said Antonelli. “It’s an amazing track – it’s not my lucky track, because in four years, each year I always had an issue – but I still love it. The layout is amazing and it will be good to have it on the calendar in the future years.”
