It is impossible not to admire the composure Andrea Kimi Antonelli showed when misfortune struck once again at Silverstone. More technical problems, another 25 points slipping away just when everything seemed to be falling into place.
Even so, the 19-year-old refused to retire, determined to fight for at least a single championship point. Although he crossed the line inside the points, that reward was later taken away by a post-race disqualification. Writing in Quotidiano Nazionale, veteran journalist Leo Turrini applauded the young Mercedes driver’s attitude.
“Poor Kimi. From paradise to hell in a single heartbreaking moment, a painful reminder to this extraordinary champion that nothing can ever be taken for granted in Formula 1,” Turrini wrote.
“At Silverstone, the young driver from Bologna was on course to complete a sensational hat-trick. He had already won Saturday’s Sprint, dominated qualifying, and in the race, with fresher tyres than race leader Charles Leclerc, he probably had everything needed to make the decisive overtaking move and extend his lead in the World Championship.”
The heartbreak
Everything changed in an instant.
“Just when it mattered most, something broke on the young Mercedes driver’s car. A frantic radio message suddenly shattered Kimi’s dreams. ‘The car won’t turn,’ he said as soon as he rejoined the track. But he still wanted to keep fighting until the very end, showing a level of determination that inspired both admiration and sympathy. When the Mercedes engineers suggested he should retire, Antonelli replied: ‘Retire? I can still try to score one point.'”
Turrini described the young Italian as stoic.
Unfortunately, there was nothing more he could do. The Mercedes had become almost impossible to drive, and Antonelli was eventually handed a penalty for exceeding track limits five times. That sanction denied him even the small consolation of the ninth-place finish he had crossed the line to achieve.
“It was cruel misfortune on top of misfortune,” Turrini continued. “The youngster’s stoicism was not rewarded by circumstances. On the contrary, Verstappen’s late retirement unexpectedly promoted George Russell to second place. That meant that, despite being slower than his Italian team-mate throughout the weekend, the British driver reduced the championship gap by 18 points.”
What happened to Antonelli’s Mercedes?
Turrini also questioned what had actually failed on Antonelli’s car.
“What exactly broke on the Mercedes? Immediately after the race, the engineers were unable to provide a definitive answer.”
Mercedes Team Principal Toto Wolff was equally disappointed and made it clear that Antonelli bore absolutely no responsibility for the retirement: “There is certainly no blame whatsoever on Kimi’s side,” Wolff said. “He made no mistakes. We are extremely disappointed because it would have been fantastic to witness the final battle between him and Charles Leclerc.
“I’m convinced Antonelli would have been able to overtake the Monegasque driver and secure a historic victory, completing a sensational weekend. We can take some consolation from George Russell’s second place, but we cannot be happy because, in reality, we lost the race.”
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