Saudi Arabia shows no mercy and puts the day’s protagonists to the test. Kimi Antonelli, who was already not in perfect health before the GP, felt it especially, but still returns home with a very respectable sixth place. Ahead of him was his teammate, while he remains just behind Lewis Hamilton in P7.
Antonelli had a strong start and almost managed to challenge Leclerc at Turn 1. However, the Italian cut the corner and had to give the position back to the Monegasque. He then tried to stay in his slipstream, but the Ferrari quickly became untouchable.
Antonelli then focused on running his own race, holding onto his position. Just like last weekend, the Mercedes driver saw Hamilton getting closer behind him, and from that moment he pushed hard to avoid being caught.
The Italian’s strategy worked, and he ultimately secured sixth place, right behind George Russell, who gradually lost pace and was overtaken by Charles Leclerc and Lando Norris.
“I kept managing, I wasn’t pushing harder because I felt it wasn’t the right time yet. Then, in those last 10 laps, when I started to feel better in the car, I felt the balance improve and then the pace came out,” said the driver about the final stages of his race.
Kimi Antonelli performed well again in Saudi Arabia, not just for the position achieved, but above all for the conditions in which he achieved it. In Jeddah, the heat once again played a nasty trick on the Formula 1 drivers.
The top three, for example, clearly appeared worn out after the race, during which we even saw Norris driving through the pit lane with his hands raised to cool down. For Antonelli, the challenge was even greater because, according to Vicky Piria, the Italian driver wasn’t feeling at his best even before the GP.
Even after the race, the 2006-born driver from Bologna was visibly affected, making his final result even more significant. And it wasn’t just Antonelli — Piria reports that Fernando Alonso also struggled considerably with the sweltering Saudi heat.
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