After a crash in Australia, Kimi Antonelli joked that he may have to wear a wrist brace after a ligament strain coming off the back of his maiden Formula 1 victory.
Coming into media day for the Japanese Grand Prix, Antonelli was sporting a wrist brace for a second weekend in a row. The injury was sustained during his crash in FP3 around Albert Park, but the Italian was quick to assure the injury was on the mend.
“It was when I crashed in FP3 in Australia. Nothing, nothing bad,” he told the media, including Motorsport Week.
“I can still drive. So that’s the most important. I did a scan. There’s nothing broken, just ligament strain. But I just need to wear this to help it heal.”
The incident came as Antonelli lost control of the Mercedes beneath him after touching the kerb in Turn 1. The touch sent his W17 spinning into the wall and back onto the track.
Despite the over 25G crash, the Italian turned the weekend around quickly, taking second in the race before going on to win the Chinese GP the next weekend.
He first appeared with the brace in the Shanghai paddock ahead of his maiden victory, and the 19-year-old was quick to joke that it may be bringing good luck.
“Maybe I should keep it the whole year!” he jested.
Mercedes confirmed to media, including Motorsport Week, that the brace was a ‘precaution’ and Antonelli admitted he’s been cleared to drive and feels okay in the car.
“When I drive, I’m okay to drive without it, so it’s nothing to worry about.”
Making history in China
The Chinese GP was an important weekend for Antonelli, and he comes into Suzuka as the youngest race winner in F1 history. With just one weekend off, the Italian admitted he celebrated, though not as much as he wished.
“I have celebrated, but not as much as I would have liked!” he told the media.
“Obviously, I wanted to celebrate Sunday night with the team, but I had to fly back home.
“I had a good celebration night with my friends on Monday. Obviously, after the race, they had a surprise for me. They surprised me at my house, and we had a nice evening.
“We didn’t do anything crazy, but it was very nice to spend time with them and as well with the rest of the family. Very soon after, I flew to the UK and started preparing and started to work on Japan.”
Despite taking a step toward winning, Antonelli said his approach to the weekend will not change.
“But, in terms of approach, I want to keep the same, to be fair, because it’s been working well so far.
“So obviously, there are areas where I need to work on and where I can do better. But yeah, I’m just gonna approach the weekend as another one without putting too much pressure on myself and try to focus again on the basics – driving well and enjoying the driving, because it’s very important.”
With Mercedes impressive form in the opening rounds, Antonelli will no doubt be hoping to continue his performance around Suzuka. His main competition focused on his teammate, George Russell.
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