Andrea Kimi Antonelli’s sparkling entrance on the Formula 1 scene has “erased” the mistake made in his Monza free practice debut.
The 18-year-old Mercedes rookie was resigned to a 16th-place grid slot in the Australian Grand Prix after a damaged front bib resigned him to a Q1 exit in qualifying.
No matter, Antonelli burst through the Sunday field at the Albert Park Circuit, rising to finish fourth amid mixed conditions that claimed six victims during the GP.
Describing the debut, Antonelli said, “What really surprised me going into the weekend was how intense it was already from Free Practice 1, which people might not think, but it’s already very intense because you want to be on top of the game straight away.”
That’s something that Antonelli wanted to achieve when he made his FP1 debut in Italy last summer, only to crash out on his second lap.
But speaking to the Italian arm of Motorsport.com, Antonelli feels his Melbourne success can help banish that memory.
“Now I can say that I have erased Monza,” he said.
“It was an episode that in some ways marked me, but it also helped me learn. And since now it’s all behind me, I’ll keep the good part, I’ll delete the rest”.
Antonelli had an altogether strong experience in Melbourne, saying “I really enjoyed it out there and definitely also gained really good experience.
“Especially the race, getting all of those conditions was really good, because I was able to experience and try the intermediates and see how the car was on the wets.
“Also, starting at the back, even though it was not nice, that was a good lesson to see how you have to manage starting from the back to progress through the field, so definitely, it was a really good experience, the first weekend.”
Antonelli hoping to impress in Shanghai
One of five rookies in F1 this season, Antonelli showed in Australia why Mercedes has talked him up so much.
The hype train has now rolled into Shanghai and Antonelli hopes he will keep it steaming along nicely.
In new surroundings and with only one practice session under his belt, Antonelli still made sure he was through to the SQ3 top-10 shootout.
However, the Italian youngster was dissatisfied with his performance in the final element of Sprint Qualifying, citing a difficult transition from medium to soft tyres.
“I was feeling good with the car throughout Sprint Qualifying,” he began.
“My SQ2 lap was particularly strong, and I was hoping to build on that for SQ3.
“On the Soft compound though, I struggled in the first sector. The tyres were too cold, and I think we didn’t quite get the warm-up right on the out lap.
“The upside is that it was a better Qualifying session than Melbourne and I continue to build my learning.
“Let’s see what we can do tomorrow now. Starting P7 leaves us with work to do but I’ve felt comfortable and confident in the car today.
“My pace on the Medium tyre was particularly good so hopefully that translates into the rest of the weekend across all compounds.”
READ MORE – Mercedes F1 rookie Kimi Antonelli proves he’s worth the hype in Australia
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