Andrea Kimi Antonelli took a career-best second place in Formula 1‘s Sao Paulo Grand Prix, but he conceded he was “lucky” to survive an earlier collision in the race.
A Safety Car restart on Lap 6 saw chaos ensue at Interlagos as a slow reaction from Antonelli put Charles Leclerc and Oscar Piastri right on his tail going into Turn 1.
As the trio went into the first corner, Piastri locked up and made contact with Antonelli, who, in turn, clattered into Leclerc’s Ferrari, forcing him to retire prematurely.
When reflecting on the incident earlier in the race, Antonelli emphasised that a moment of wheel-spin ultimately led to a chain reaction that resulted in the collision.
“Well, first of all, the restart – I accelerated a little bit on the wet patch, so I got wheelspin and lost momentum going into Turn 1,” he told media including Motorsport Week.
“But to be fair, I found myself in a very difficult position because I had one car on the outside and one car on the inside.
“I tried to brake late, not too late. The problem is I didn’t see the car next to me anymore.”
Antonelli revealed that he tried to take a balanced braking point. However, with Piastri on his inside and Leclerc sweeping outside, he was left in a difficult position.
“I still tried to do a decent line for the position I was in,” he continued.
“And yeah, ended up getting hit. I was lucky to come away like that, because obviously I hit quite hard Charles.
“Unfortunately, I ended his race, but on my side, I was lucky to come away with not such big damage.”
However, Charles Leclerc was adamant that both Piastri and Antonelli were at fault for the collision, citing that the rookie took the corner as if Piastri “wasn’t there”.
Antonelli survives to clinch career-best finish
Antonelli escaped without serious damage, allowing him to continue racing, which he capitalised on to come home second, repelling a late Max Verstappen charge.
“I think the steering wheel was not fully straight, but I was very lucky to come away with it and to be able to continue my race,” he acknowledged.
As he looks to the final three rounds in his maiden campaign, Antonelli, who added to his maiden podium in Canada with second in Brazil, is growing in confidence.
“I’ve had a good run so far, a couple of strong races, and this weekend was the one where we put things more together, which is what I need to do, especially for the team,” he added.
“I’ve been enjoying a lot this weekend and looking forward to the next ones.”
READ MORE – Oscar Piastri unrepentant over Kimi Antonelli clash at F1 Brazil GP despite being penalised
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