Mercedes Sees Brilliance in Antonelli Despite 45G Crash at Monza
Mercedes Impressed by Antonelli’s Pace Before Crash
Andrea Kimi Antonelli’s brief but spectacular outing in the Mercedes W15 during Friday’s Free Practice 1 at Monza may have ended in a 45G crash at Parabolica, but it has further convinced the team of his incredible talent. Despite the damaged car, Mercedes engineers and senior management were thrilled with what they saw in the minutes leading up to the accident.
In fact, digging into the data from his handful of laps, the team has highlighted both Antonelli’s tremendous natural speed and his inexperience. Mercedes boss Toto Wolff noted, “What he did, the car couldn’t take…” referring to Antonelli’s second flying lap of the session, which was on course to be even faster than his initial lap of 1m23.955s that briefly topped the timesheets.
“What we have seen in one and a half laps is just astonishing,” – Toto Wolff, Mercedes Boss
Antonelli’s Impressive Pace and the Cause of the Crash
A closer look at the telemetry data reveals fascinating details that Mercedes has picked up on. It shows where Antonelli proved to be significantly faster than any other driver, as well as offering an explanation for the crash. According to Wolff, “I guess he was just bitten. Everyone suffered from the temperature, especially rear temperatures around Ascari at these kinds of speeds – that is why the rear stepped out.”
Notably, Antonelli’s speed through Lesmo 2 and the Ascari Chicane was unmatched by other front runners. His minimum speed through Lesmo 2 was 184km/h, 7km/h faster than Max Verstappen’s fastest lap. Through the Ascari Chicane, Antonelli reached an impressive 190km/h, while Verstappen managed only 176km/h on his fastest lap.
While Antonelli’s speed was breathtaking, it pushed his tyres beyond their limit, causing them to overheat. This ultimately led to a loss of rear grip as he exited Ascari, resulting in the crash at Parabolica. Wolff acknowledged that Antonelli’s inexperience with tyres contributed to the incident, stating, “We would rather have a problem in slowing him down than making him faster.”
Mercedes Confident in Antonelli’s Potential
Despite the crash, Mercedes is thrilled with what they saw from Antonelli, with Wolff praising, “What we have seen in one and a half laps is just astonishing.” The team sees great potential in the young driver, and this outing has only reinforced their confidence in his abilities. Formula 1 today is all about finding that extra edge, and Mercedes believes they may have found it in Antonelli.
🔗 Source