Andrea Kimi Antonelli has explained how he will grow “stronger” from his collision with Max Verstappen in Austria, stating his Formula 1 debut crash at Monza last year was a “worse” experience.
The Italian arrives at this weekend’s British Grand Prix off the back of the error on the first lap in Spielberg which left both himself and Verstappen out of the race.
Upon entering Turn 3, Antonelli made an amibitious move on the inside, locking his tyres and t-boning the Dutchman’s Red Bull.
The rookie apologised to both Verstappen and the Mercedes team immediately afterwards, with the reigning World Champion showing considerable understanding of the 18-year-old’s inexperience.
It was, perhaps, the first real ‘rookie error’ that Antonelli has shown in an F1 car since his first public outing in one – during FP1 for last year’s Italian Grand Prix – in which he crashed at the Parabolica after just a handful of laps.
When asked if he could draw comparisons between both incidents, Antonelli was in no doubt that his Monza hijinks were by far most negative.
“I think Monza was worse,” he told media including Motorsport Week. “For me, Monza was like the worst ever. But definitely, you know after you go through difficult moments, it’s also, they all help in case you face them again to overcome them in a better way.
“And I think, you know, the difficult triple header was a really good learning. And it really helped me as well to face the down moment of Austria and to, you know, kind of reset and come back stronger for this weekend.
“But definitely, you know, these are all episodes that obviously you don’t want to happen because in some ways, they kind of hurt you as well. But they also make you stronger.
“And when you get to the moment again, the difficult moment, you’re able to react in a much better way.”
How Wolff warning left Antonelli knowing he ‘cannot make same mistake again’
Antonelli revealed the difficulty of having to walk back to the team’s garage after the clash, knowing the error cost his team valuable Constructors’ Championship points.
When asked by Motorsport Week how Team Principal privately reacted to the incident, he said that a “comprehensive” chat with the Austrian was fair, but firm.
“Yeah, I mean, first of all, it was not super easy to go back into the garage because, obviously, I felt very sorry towards the team, you know,” he said.
“Ending the race in lap one is never good and, of course, also, you know, towards the mechanics that had to repair the car afterwards.
“So, you know, I took a little bit of time to cool down and then walk into the garage and apologise to all the members and then eventually also talk with Otto.
“But, in the moment, I didn’t talk too much because, obviously, I was focused on the race and I didn’t want to bother them much. But later on, with a more proper conversation, you know, I
explained, you know, I said, you know, I’m very sorry, it was my mistake.
“And then he said, you know, it was very comprehensive. You know, he wasn’t angry or anything. But, obviously, you know, the thing is, now I cannot make the same mistake again.”
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