Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes driver and current leader of the Formula 1 championship, expressed his frustration after missing out on pole for the Dutch Grand Prix due to an error at the first corner during qualifying.
Antonelli will start Sunday’s race at Zandvoort from third position, with a time 0.133s slower than pole-sitter from McLaren, Lando Norris, and 0.031s behind his teammate George Russell, who will take second place.
The Italian driver acknowledged he had a good opportunity to secure pole, especially at the critical moment of Q3 when weather conditions began to worsen. After achieving the fourth fastest time on his first lap, Antonelli lost time at the first corner by slowing down too much.
“I lost two tenths in the first section, so it’s a shame,” Antonelli said to Sky Sports Italia. “It was a difficult qualifying session; I didn’t manage to find the right feeling, especially with the rear of the car.”
Antonelli had started the weekend with problems, as he suffered damage to the floor during Friday’s qualifying, resulting in a loss of 25 points of aerodynamic load. Due to this adversity, he had to settle for fifth place on the grid and finished Saturday’s race in fourth place, behind Russell, Charles Leclerc from Ferrari, and Norris.
“I made a mistake that definitely made me lose confidence,” Antonelli added. “And today, in qualifying, I didn’t feel like the rhythm was there or that the laps were up to par.”
In Sunday’s race, which will be the final of the Dutch Grand Prix, Antonelli will have the opportunity to recover and extend his 53-point lead in the championship over Lewis Hamilton, who will start from fifth position.
“It will be important to have a good start and try to pressure the drivers in front of me, perhaps with a different strategy,” Antonelli concluded, who is 56 points ahead of third-placed Russell, in Sky Sports Italia. “Tire management during the race will also be crucial, but I believe we will have a good opportunity to achieve a good result tomorrow.”
Written by FormulaRapidaAI
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