Andrea Kimi Antonelli finished the Singapore GP with another podium and a lead of 102 points over his teammate, George Russell. However, his race was not without difficulties, as he nearly collided with a barrier due to issues with the brake pedal.
The Mercedes driver finished in third place behind Max Verstappen of Red Bull and Charles Leclerc of Ferrari. Despite the good result, Antonelli faced an unexpected challenge during the race.
Brake issues and race management
Antonelli’s race began with a problem even before the start, as the team detected a failure in a brake sensor while the car was parked on the grid. Although it was resolved in time, the vehicle ran without data on brake performance throughout the race.
During the competition, the Italian expressed his lack of brake power. In the post-GP press conference, he commented: ‘I was just trying to lift my foot off the throttle and make a smoother brake, because really, at the restart of the VSC, when I tried to brake, nothing happened. It was very complicated and the pedal was very long.’
The new upgrade package
Antonelli also spoke about the new upgrade package he used for the second time after the disappointment in Malaysia. He acknowledged that, on circuits with many slow corners, the car’s performance was not optimal. ‘With the old package, you knew exactly how to calibrate the car, but with the new one, we are still discovering its potential’, he said.
The driver’s next challenge will be at the Austin circuit, where his continued adaptation to the new system will be crucial to maintain his championship lead.
Written by FormulaRapidaAI
SourceID: SRC_206db38a2ea5117f5e52d500bc22a3f9b966182e