(Motorsport-Total.com) – At the British Grand Prix, Kimi Antonelli was close to winning his first Grand Prix at Silverstone. But the potential triumph was destroyed by a problem with his suspension shortly before the end. Ultimately, the brake duct on the left front wheel came loose and got caught in the suspension after running over the curbs.
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“We believe it was a curb strike in turn 9, where the curb is very high,” explained Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff after the race on Sky Sport F1. “But that is still no excuse, because that thing must not break.”
At first, it was unclear exactly what the 19-year-old was struggling with. Initially, the championship leader complained over the radio about problems with his car and radioed to the pit: “Something is broken in the car!”
At that time, Antonelli was in second place, right in pursuit of Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari. His attempt to catch the Monegasque with fresher tires in the last stint was interrupted by an emergency stop. Although tires and nose were changed here, the problem remained on the track for Antonelli. Only after the unscheduled stop did it become clear what had gotten caught in Antonelli’s suspension.
“It was really confusing because I didn’t know what was happening,” said Kimi Antonelli after the race on Sky Sport F1. At first, the championship leader thought he had lost a part of his front wing. “The team didn’t give me an answer at that moment because they were trying to understand what was going on.”
After Mercedes understood where the problem with Antonelli actually was, they called him in for another stop at the pits. Here, the brake duct was removed and Antonelli was able to continue the Grand Prix. Although the balance in the car remained anything but comfortable for the championship leader, it at least looked like the 19-year-old could salvage a few championship points.
Due to his problems with the car, Antonelli often went off track. As a result, the 19-year-old received a five-second penalty for track limits and was ultimately classified in 16th place. After the safety car, Antonelli crossed the finish line in ninth place and could have taken two championship points.
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When asked by our sister portal Motorsport.com whether this penalty was at least a bit surprising, Antonelli replied after the race: “I mean, those are the rules, you can’t do anything about it. But of course, I tried my best to stay on the track.”
“But,” said Antonelli, “it was really undrivable! Of course, it hurts to get a penalty then. But those are the rules and there’s nothing we can do about it.”
The Silver Arrows are foregoing an appeal against Antonelli’s penalty. “We lost a lot of points today,” Antonelli explained to Motorsport.com after the race. Explicitly, George Russell was able to gain 18 points on his rival in the championship.
“But,” the leader assessed, “the momentum is on our side. This weekend we showed the speed and demonstrated where the potential lies. I feel good, we are in a good position with the team and the car. We have shown what is possible. Therefore, I think the momentum is still there.”
“And,” said Antonelli, “that only fuels the fire even more. That means: attack in Spa and try again.”
Antonelli does not leave the “Home of British Motor Racing” completely without championship points. The day before, the championship leader was able to win the sprint and thus earn eight points.
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