Starting from sixth and finishing in the same position usually means a race with little to note. But at the Japanese Grand Prix, Andrea Kimi Antonelli put together his most solid and convincing performance since joining Formula 1.
This is a good sign, as the same was said in China. A clear sign of steady progress for the 18-year-old from Bologna, who is racing full-time for Mercedes this year alongside an experienced and strong teammate in George Russell.
In the end, the standings speak for themselves: Kimi Antonelli finished just 1.3 seconds behind his teammate, who crossed the line in fifth.
Starting on Medium tyres, Kimi Antonelli extended his first stint considerably, managing the compound like a veteran. At one point, when the top five had completed their pit stops, he found himself leading the race, becoming the youngest driver ever to lead a Formula 1 Grand Prix. A record previously held by Max Verstappen, beaten by just three days.
A great satisfaction, but one that didn’t distract Andrea, who stayed focused on maintaining the race pace set during the pre-race briefings. And he nailed it.
“It was a great feeling to be leading the race for a few laps. But it didn’t take away my focus, which was to maintain good race pace. I’m happy with how it went, especially with the pace I had on the Hards. In the final stint I was able to ‘play’ with the car a lot more, so it felt great.”
Speaking about that second stint on Hards, Antonelli rejoined the track with Hamilton right behind and Russell nine seconds ahead. By the end of the race, as mentioned, George was only 1.3 seconds ahead of him, while Hamilton was 10.5 seconds behind. Numbers that clearly show how the Italian was the star of the second half of the race, thanks to a stint that made him the fastest on track for several laps.
“These are things I’m learning—gaining more experience weekend after weekend, understanding the tyres better, knowing when I can push and especially how much I can push the car, particularly in qualifying. Next week we race on a track I know much better (Sakhir, Bahrain), so we’ll try to have a better qualifying and then a good race.”
“Certain adjectives, even if flattering, don’t appeal to me much. I was surprised myself by the pace we had. Especially when they told me over the radio that I was the fastest on track—I was a bit stunned. But I gave it everything, especially because I saw I was closing in on those ahead. I believed until the end, but unfortunately, I didn’t make it in time.”
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