Kimi Antonelli: “Strategy didn’t work, engine failure came out of nowhere” | F1 Spanish GP. Mercedes driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli retired from the Spanish GP.

Andrea Kimi Antonelli’s first European triple-header in Formula 1 was certainly not unforgettable. The Mercedes driver ended his Spanish Grand Prix early due to an oil pressure loss in his power unit on lap 53 of the scheduled 66.

Until the retirement, Andrea was solidly in seventh place but without a chance to stay connected to the pack ahead because of a strategy that, ultimately, did not pay off.

“It was quite a lonely race. I was pretty angry about the strategy. On the medium tyres I felt quite good, to be honest, especially at the end I had a consistent pace and it’s a shame to end the race this way,” said the Bologna native at the end of the Montmeló weekend.

“The engine had shown no signs of trouble in the previous laps. Everything happened suddenly. I didn’t feel anything at all until the problem occurred. Of course, it’s been a very tough triple-header for me. But now we’ll try to come back stronger starting from the next race.” – the Italian driver pointed out – “Now I’ll have time to reset my mind and I’ll try to collect everything I’ve learned, all the information needed to come back stronger in Canada.”

Mercedes continues to struggle with tyre management on tracks with high temperatures. The rear axle often suffers from overheating issues. However, for the upcoming races, the team led by Toto Wolff is expected to reintroduce the rear suspension tested at Imola, which was then shelved at Monaco and Barcelona.

After collecting data, Mercedes aims to put it back on the W16 and help improve tyre management, thereby making progress in race pace.

“For us, with such hot temperatures, the race was tough. It was much hotter than during Free Practice 2, when we tested the long runs. That’s why it wasn’t easy. But for sure it was a great opportunity to learn something.”

“I felt the car quite well, connected, so I think we understood something and now we’ll see what we can do also with the rear suspension, because we’ve figured out several things and hopefully we can benefit from those components too,” Kimi Antonelli concluded at the end of the Spanish Grand Prix.