Marco Antonelli, Kimi’s father, comments on his son’s pole position in the Miami Sprint Race, emphasizing how the weight of last year’s mistake at Monza has now lifted: “Now you’ll see a calmer Kimi, more aware of his potential.”
“How do I call him? I call him ‘mouse’…” A phrase only a parent would say — a father. Words from Marco Antonelli, former driver and current owner of the team bearing his name that races in various GT series, but above all father of Andrea Kimi, who recently became the first Italian to take pole position in a Formula 1 Sprint race.
The 18-year-old from Bologna delivered a masterpiece in Sprint Qualifying, right in front of his father’s eyes. And Marco, true to his Bolognese roots, certainly didn’t hide his joy once he realized that “his mouse” had managed to beat everyone over a flying lap on the Miami circuit.
“This is the first building block. It’s a new track for him, and he hadn’t tried the Soft tyre. I didn’t think he could do it. He did really well and I don’t think there’s much more to add,” said Papa Antonelli to Sky Sport F1.
“He’s a Formula 1 driver, and if he wants to do well, he has to do everything quickly and do it at the highest level. It’s not like a few years ago when if you were a second off you could still start fourth or fifth. Now if you’re a second off, you start 20th. Either you’re on it, or your journey is short. He’s doing well, learning how to reason things out, and I hope he keeps doing that because it can make the difference in the future.”
Last year, Kimi Antonelli impressed during the few laps he completed in Free Practice 1 at Monza before ending up prematurely in the barriers at Parabolica. An error that marked Andrea, but one that now seems to be growing more distant, already almost forgotten.
“Andrea has always been effective in every category he’s raced in and has always been smart in managing both race and non-race situations. We’ve moved past the Monza crash — it was something that stayed with him and definitely affected him in the early races this season. A punishment he paid for dearly. Bit by bit, we’ve shaken it off, and I think from now on, you’ll see a calmer Kimi, more aware of his potential.”
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