Antonelli experiences a mishap during Monza race
In his mind, things didn't go as planned for prodigy Andrea Kimi Antonelli. During his initial Formula 1 training session, the 18-year-old skidded into a stack of tires at high speed. His Mercedes vehicle had to be towed away, and Antonelli let out a string of expletives.
Considered the potential successor to record-breaking world champion Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes for the upcoming season, Antonelli was caught on radio swearing and apologized afterward. Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff, a known supporter of Antonelli's talent, consoled his protégé via radio: "It's alright, Kimi, it's all good." The training session was momentarily halted for roughly 13 minutes due to the accident.
Max Verstappen, the current world champion and driver standings leader, set the fastest time in FP1 (First Practice Session) with Red Bull, recording a time of 1:21.676 minutes. Lando Norris, the victor of Zandvoort, followed closely behind in third place, about two tenths of a second behind Verstappen. Charles Leclerc of Ferrari settled in between the two in fourth place.
Nico Hülkenberg finished last for Haas, just ahead of Antonelli. Franco Colapinto, the first Argentine driver in Formula 1 in 23 years, ended up in 17th place, also encountering issues with the gravel bed.
The high-speed circuit in northern Italy underwent a significant renovation ahead of this year's Italian Grand Prix (Sunday, 3 pm/RTL, Sky, and on the ntv.de live ticker), with a budget of around 21 million euros. New asphalt was laid, the track width was adjusted in some areas, and flatter curbs were installed to make the traditional Lombardy track even faster and smoother.
Besides Wolff, Antonelli also has Hamilton in his corner. On Thursday, the Mercedes driver stated, "For a while, I've believed the team should go with Kimi." Antonelli originally drove in George Russell's vehicle. Russell, slated to remain with Mercedes until 2025, now needs to hasten the repair of his car for the second training session (5 pm/Sky and on the ntv.de live ticker).
Despite his promising potential as Mercedes' incoming talent, Antonelli's Formula 1 debut took an unexpected turn when he skidded during training and had to be towed away. Remarkably, current world champion Max Verstappen still set the fastest time in FP1.
