Antonelli says Dutch weekend has been a good wake-up call
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ZANDVOORT, Netherlands, Aug 22 : Formula One leader Kimi Antonelli said the Dutch Grand Prix weekend had been a good wake-up call after errors in qualifying for the Saturday sprint and Sunday race left the Italian chasing Mercedes teammate George Russell.
The 19-year-old finished fourth in the sprint, after qualifying fifth, that Russell won from pole position to claw back three points in the title battle as the second half of the season kicked off.
Antonelli then qualified third for the grand prix with Russell ahead on the front row and alongside McLaren’s pole-sitter and reigning champion Lando Norris.
The Italian won five races in a row early in the season but has since had only one victory in the last five.
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“I don’t feel any extra pressure. But it was a very good wake-up call this weekend, that you can never lower your guard,” said Antonelli, who is 53 points clear of Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton and 56 ahead of Russell.
“I did a mistake yesterday and today I did a mistake in Q3 (the final phase of qualifying). It’s not that I’m driving more tense or anything, but I just feel this weekend is a good wake-up call, and to just again put things in the right place at the right time and just deliver the result when it counts.”
On Friday Antonelli had gone off track across the gravel, damaging the floor of his car, in sprint qualifying.
Mercedes patched up the damage but reckoned the loss of downforce cost him a significant amount in the low speed corners.
On Saturday the Italian said a mistake at the start of his final lap had potentially cost him pole position at a circuit where the winner on Sunday has always started at the front of the grid since the race returned in 2021.
“I lost a couple of tenths. It was my mistake. A shame for that as we had a real shot for pole,” said Antonelli.
Team boss Toto Wolff felt Russell could have said the same.
“Kimi had a mistake in sector one, so that would have probably cost him a tenth or so, but the same with George in the last sector,” he said.
Source: Reuters
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