Mercedes’ protégé Kimi Antonelli still feels guilty days after his crash with Max Verstappen in Austria. However, it’s one of the valuable lessons in what has so far been a sometimes challenging first season in Formula 1.
Antonelli admits at the Silverstone circuit in the run-up to the British GP that he is entirely to blame for his crash during the Austrian Grand Prix. The Italian, like Verstappen, had to retire early from the race. In a conversation with the media, Antonelli was candid about what went wrong and what he has learned from it.
“I immediately apologized to Max. And besides, I felt really bad towards the team,” said Antonelli. “First lap crashes are never good, especially not for the mechanics who then have to rebuild the car.”
He continues: “I was in Liam Lawson‘s slipstream and therefore had less downforce. When I started braking, I locked the rear tires. Then I had to release the brake pedal to avoid spinning, and I was on the dirty side of the track. Then I locked the front tires.”
According to Kimi Antonelli, he could have avoided the crash in Austria: “Maybe I should have gone completely wide. Then I would have lost one or two places, but I would still have been in the race.”
Support from Wolff
The young driver received support from team boss Toto Wolff: “Toto was incredibly understanding. I later spoke with him and the team and said: ‘It was my fault.’ He was not angry. But I have learned from it and know that I cannot make these kinds of mistakes anymore.”
