(Motorsport-Total.com) – After Kimi Antonelli’s difficult race weekend at the British Grand Prix, two prominent voices, Otmar Szafnauer and Martin Brundle, assessed the performance of the Mercedes driver. Both see the race in Silverstone, despite the disappointing result, as an important learning experience for the 19-year-old championship leader.
Read more Szafnauer: Silverstone an important lesson for Kimi Antonelli
Antonelli initially showed a strong weekend in Silverstone. After his first sprint win on Saturday, where he overtook Lewis Hamilton confidently, the Italian also secured pole position for the Grand Prix.
In the race, he initially dropped behind Charles Leclerc and Hamilton to third place after the start but remained in a promising position for the fight for victory, holding a first stint that was ten laps longer than Leclerc’s.
Technical defect ends the chances of victory
The turning point came in lap 41 when a wheel cover came loose on his Mercedes and affected the steering. The team changed the front wing, nose, and tires during the pit stop, but the actual problem remained. Antonelli had to pit again shortly after.
Despite the damage, Antonelli continued the race and kept fighting for possible championship points. In the end, however, the technical problems and a time penalty for repeated track limit violations prevented a better result. Antonelli was finally classified 15th and remained without points for the first time in a long while.
Szafnauer: Schumacher was a role model in such situations
For former Alpine team principal Otmar Szafnauer, dealing with a damaged car is a skill that a driver develops only with increasing experience.
In the podcast “High Performance Racing”, Szafnauer explains: “This could all be part of the learning process. It is part of growing in this sport. Michael Schumacher was a genius at bringing a damaged car to the finish. It didn’t matter what was broken. There were races where he only had fifth gear left.”
Silverstone: Driver ratings from Marc Surer and the editorial team
He continues: “And yet he brought the car to the finish. He was really exceptionally good at that. Some drivers master it, others have to learn it. I’m not saying Kimi can’t do it, but maybe it’s something he still needs to acquire in the future.”
Szafnauer is convinced that this skill can be crucial in the fight for world championships. “If you master that, then you have another strength you need to win world championships.”
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Brundle sees communication problem as an important lesson
Sky Sports expert Martin Brundle also regarded the British Grand Prix as an important lesson for Antonelli. In his view, the problem was not only the technical defect but also the communication between driver and team.
“It was heartbreaking for him, but at the same time another lesson because he didn’t clearly communicate his problems to his team on the way to the pits,” Brundle writes in his column.
“The team replaced the quickly and easily changeable parts like the nose, front wing, and tires and sent him back out on track. But the disturbing body part continued to block the steering, so he had to pit again two laps later.”
Brundle praises the fighting spirit of the young Italian: “Kimi persevered. Although at that point he was still in tenth place and thus had a possibly important championship point within reach, he showed remarkable pace again despite the problems.”
Brundle criticizes FIA and the penalty for track limits
The former Formula 1 driver is critical of the subsequent five-second penalty for multiple track limit violations. “With his problems, he went off track five times and therefore received a five-second penalty for track limits. This rule should be adjusted.”
“Penalties for track limits are meant for when drivers gain an advantage by cutting corners or running wide. They should not be applied when a driver is merely trying to keep the car under control with a technical defect or avoid another vehicle,” Brundle further explains.
For Antonelli, the race in Silverstone ended without points, but according to Szafnauer and Brundle, the experience could be valuable in the long term. The next opportunity to apply these insights will be at the Belgian Grand Prix in Spa-Francorchamps in mid-July.
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