Kimi Antonelli (2nd): “That’s when I knew I didn’t stand a chance anymore”

Kimi Antonelli crossed the finish line in second place at the end of a long, eventful Grand Prix at Zandvoort. The fact that he did not secure the final top-three spot was due in no small part to his Mercedes team-mate George Russell, who followed the team’s instructions to let the young championship leader through. It was quite clear, however, that despite having fresher tyres, he would no longer be able to mount an attack on the leader and eventual race winner, Lando Norris. He simply ran out of time.

Furthermore, Antonelli did not have a trouble-free final few laps. He spoke of aerodynamic problems, which his race engineer Pete ‘Bono’ Bonnington was unable to confirm after reviewing the data. In the end, the teenager crossed the finish line just under 11.5 seconds behind the winner in the McLaren. Afterwards, he said: “That was a very intense race.”

And the curly-haired driver from Bologna said: “I managed to take the lead, and I actually felt quite good during the first stint, but after the first stop I didn’t have the right feel for the car. I was sliding around a lot and, in the end, Lando overtook me. That’s when I knew I didn’t stand a chance. George was a brilliant team player, and I’m really pleased that he managed to hold on to third place.”

The latter was by no means a foregone conclusion, as Russell came under immense pressure; his former team-mate Lewis Hamilton, driving the Ferrari, came close to overtaking him on several occasions, whilst a late virtual safety car period ultimately played into Russell’s hands as he defended his podium position.

Antonelli had every reason to be proud of his two stints (the race was interrupted due to Max Verstappen’s serious crash). Until recently, the 19-year-old had struggled with his start. “In that respect, we’ve done a brilliant job and improved significantly. And it’s paid off, so I’m really pleased with that. As a team, we now need to find a bit more time, as McLaren have taken a huge step forward. So we need to keep pushing.”

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