Andrea Kimi Antonelli has expressed his disappointment after a complicated race at the Brazil Grand Prix, despite contributing to Mercedes‘ triumph in the Formula 1 constructors’ title. After a promising start, the Italian driver suffered from balance issues and an off-track excursion that kept him from victory.
Antonelli, who had taken the lead at the beginning of the race by overtaking polesitter Lando Norris, was building a solid advantage until the first pit stop. Although conditions were favorable for slick tires, a strategic change by Norris reduced his lead.
Around lap 20, Antonelli lost control of the vehicle at the first corner, causing a spin that allowed Norris to regain the position. After that, Antonelli faced an additional challenge with Isack Hadjar and Max Verstappen pressing him hard.
Before his off-track excursion, Antonelli had expressed concerns about a possible suspension issue, noting that the vehicle tended to veer off. This difficulty with balance caused him to lose more positions at a critical moment in the race.
“I am very disappointed with the race. The truth is that I am very angry, but I will put that aside to celebrate the team’s title,” Antonelli commented after the race. “We achieved the title for the team, which deserves everything, and I am very proud to be part of this group.”
Regarding the incidents during the race, he added: “We were in a position to win up until that moment. I felt a strange sensation with the car when I put on the soft tires. We need to investigate what happened because I don’t know why I lost the rear so quickly.”
Antonelli highlighted that the issues seemed to be limited to the left turns, where he felt the vehicle instability more. The spins he suffered in the off-track excursion further complicated his subsequent performance.
After switching to a second set of tires, Antonelli was able to improve his lap time, which gave him a new opportunity to challenge Hadjar in the later stages of the race.
Written by FormulaRapidaAI
SourceID: SRC_e86e0c9940d1c4780cc9de4ba6246cc05d46f396