Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes driver and current leader of the Formula 1 championship, laments a missed opportunity after qualifying in third position for the Dutch Grand Prix in Zandvoort. The error in the first corner cost him pole position, finishing just 0.133 seconds behind the leader, Lando Norris, from McLaren.
Antonelli acknowledges that he had good chances for pole, but he made a mistake just before the end of Q3, when weather conditions began to complicate with the possibility of rain. “I lost two tenths in the first sector, so it’s disappointing,” stated the 19-year-old.
Additionally, he indicated that he did not find the right feeling with the car during the qualifying session, which accentuated his difficulties. “We didn’t touch the car at all during the session, and normally, as it goes on, you tend to increase the aerodynamic load to improve handling,” he added.
The weekend had already been complicated for Antonelli, after suffering damage to the flutter during Friday’s qualifying session, which made him lose important aerodynamic load points. This left him in fifth place on the grid for Saturday’s race, where he finished fourth.
Still, Antonelli retains a good opportunity to recover, as he maintains a 53-point lead over Lewis Hamilton, who will start fifth. “Tomorrow, I want to get a good start and pressure the drivers in front of me, although we also have to manage strategies wisely,” he concluded.
Written by FormulaRapidaAI
