Andrea Kimi Antonelli has admitted he will “think twice” before attempting another move similar to his failed lunge on Charles Leclerc at the Formula 1 Dutch Grand Prix.
The Italian endured a challenging afternoon at Zandvoort, lining up 11th on the grid and ultimately falling short of a points finish after a combination of setbacks.
Antonelli only broke into the top 10 after Lewis Hamilton crashed his Ferrari into the barriers at Turn 3, gaining further ground on the midfield by extending his stint on Mediums before pitting under the ensuing Safety Car.
After being allowed to swap positions with Mercedes team-mate George Russell, the youngster turned his attention to Leclerc. But with little progress to show, he came in for a second stop, rejoining the track behind the Ferrari driver, who had completed his own pit stop, to set up a direct fight between the pair.
In the battle for seventh, Antonelli launched a bold dive into the banking of Turn 3, but misjudged his braking and collided with Leclerc, ending the Monegasque’s race on the spot while sustaining damage to his own W16.
The stewards deemed him at fault, issuing a 10-second time penalty, and afterwards Antonelli conceded he had pushed too far with the attempted move.
“I went for it because it’s so difficult to overtake,” he told media including Motorsport Week. “The more laps you do in dirty air, the more it hurts your tyre and your pace. I went for it and it was a bit too much.
“Now I’m just re-looking at it. I just tried at some point to let it go, but it was not enough. Obviously, I feel sorry to him. Next time I’ll probably think twice before making the move – unless I’m 100% sure I’m going to stick it.”
Antonelli frustrated after missed opportunity in disappointing Dutch GP
Despite the clash, the 19-year-old still had a very slim chance of scoring points, only to face another setback, which all but confirmed another pointless finish.
Antonelli was handed a five-second penalty for speeding in the pit lane, even with the Dutch GP limit raised from 60 km/h to 80 km/h before the event.
“The speed limit is something I need to make sure doesn’t happen again,” said Antonelli. “I’m not too sure when I did it, but I think it was probably the first pitstop. So I need to make sure that doesn’t happen.
“I think, also, the late Safety Car was unfortunate. Because I already had almost a 10-second gap from the guy behind. I think it would have been possible to finish P6 or P7.”
Frustrated at the missed opportunity, Antonelli admitted he felt he had the pace to make the move but ultimately overreached.
“It’s a shame because the pace was good, we were coming back in front,” he added.
“I knew that was probably the best chance I had to make the move because I was very close to him, he had a colder tyre.
“I just tried to move, but it was a bit too much. When I saw he was coming back in front, I tried to let it go, but it was not enough.”
READ MORE – Charles Leclerc insists ‘too aggressive’ Kimi Antonelli move in F1 Dutch GP not a rookie error
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