Andrea Kimi Antonelli finished the Formula 1 Sao Paulo Grand Prix in fifth despite holding a commanding lead during the opening phases of the race.
The 20-year-old came into the race weekend at Interlagos as Champion-elect after wrapping up a historic F1 title at Mexico last weekend.
But it was a difficult outing for the Mercedes driver during the 71-lap race on Sunday. Antonelli was able to slip past the MCL40 of Lando Norris and in the lead into the Senna esses at the start.
However, as the track started to dry up after a slippery getaway, Norris started to eat into the Italian’s advantage. When Antonelli finally made his switch onto the slick tyres, his race started to unravel.
Antonelli came onto his team radio comms to complain about a “weird” feeling in the car. He felt it was an errant suspension and the team believed the balance felt off due to cold tyres.
Whatever the reason, the inherent imbalance saw Antonelli lock his rears and spin as he braked for Turn 1. The resultant slide let Norris past through into the lead and left Antonelli with scathed rubber.
This, he revealed, made him “angry” but he decided to put his feelings away as Mercedes also wrapped up their ninth Constructors’ title.
“Yeah, I’m very disappointed for the race,” Antonelli said.
“I’m very angry, to be fair, but I’m going to put all this aside for now, because the team clinched the title. We clinched the title for the team, and they all deserve it.
“I’m very proud to be part of this group and this team who have done, and still do, so much for me. I’m very happy for them.
“But talking about the race specifically, yeah, very disappointing because we were on for the win up to that point.
“Also, on the slick, once I was able to get some temperature, I was getting into the rhythm. But yeah, the spin came, which still is something I need to look at because I don’t know why I lost the rear so quickly as well, like no warning, nothing.”
Kimi Antonelli requests Mercedes inquest into F1 Sao Paulo GP troubles
After the race, Antonelli was still searching for answers. He revealed that he had problems only in left-handed corners and high-speed sections.
The 20-year-old explained how he felt something was off with the “geometry” of the W17 during the race.
“We need to check something with the geometry of the car, of the rear, because I had this issue only in left corners. So especially at high speed was when I was feeling it the most,” he told Sky Sports F1.
“And the rear felt very unstable, even coming into the finish line in the left kink, the rear was very loose, which was weird.
“We need to check something in the car to see if anything happened. But it was a very odd feeling. And then when I spun, the tyres were gone; all four wheels flat-spotted. Only when then I put on the second set, we got back to [usual] pace. It was a shame.”
Antonelli learns fate after post-race FIA investigation
The Mercedes driver also got himself in hot water with the stewards during his pit stop.
The 2026 F1 World Champion was released in the path of Alpine’s Franco Colapinto, with the Argentine narrowly missing a catastrophe in the pit lane.
Antonelli was put under investigation after the race, with the stewards imposing a five-second time penalty on the Italian.
“The stewards heard from the driver of Car 12 (Kimi Antonelli), team representative and reviewed video and in-car video evidence and determined that Car 12 was released in an unsafe manner when Car 43 was approaching in the fast lane,” read the stewards’ decision.
“While Car 12 was entitled to travel down the pit lane in parallel to cars in the fast lane, in this instance, Car 12 momentarily lost control on the slippery surface and had to take steps to avoid a collision and that resulted in a potentially unsafe situation.
“The team acknowledged that this release could have been handled better and in a safer manner. We impose a five-second time penalty.”
Despite the penalty, Antonelli retains his fifth-placed finish behind his team-mate George Russell.
READ MORE – George Russell warned over potential ‘game over’ for 2027 title bid
Discussion about this post