Kimi Antonelli: Costly run-off in the Zandvoort Sprint Qualifying

Mercedes veteran George Russell showed just what was possible: in the first qualifying session following the summer break, the Briton secured sprint pole for the mini-race at Zandvoort, finishing just under four hundredths of a second faster than world champion Lando Norris in the McLaren.

For Russell’s team-mate Kimi Antonelli, however, the session did not go so smoothly. He made a mistake in the first segment that proved costly. A run-off at Turn 13 caused damage to the underbody, which affected the teenager’s performance. As a result, Antonelli had to settle for the fifth-fastest lap at the crucial moment, falling 0.227 seconds short of his team-mate’s pole time.

Significant damage to the underbody

“The damage was quite extensive; I had a few holes in the underbody,” the curly-haired driver reported later. “When I returned to the pits, I was told that the damage had cost me 25 downforce points.” GP veteran Jolyon Palmer worked out that the time loss amounted to around three to five tenths of a second. It was therefore clear that, had it not been for the damage, he might well have secured pole position.

“The team obviously tried to repair everything as best they could, but of course the damage was still there. I struggled quite a bit in the slower sections as a result,” Antonelli explained, adding bravely: “But it is what it is.” Commenting on the costly off-track incident, he said: “I was going a bit too fast going into the corner, which is why I lost control of the rear. I skidded through the gravel trap and that was basically it. Afterwards, of course, it wasn’t so easy to regain confidence.”

The ambitious Stern driver from Bologna promised: “We’ll leave no stone unturned to achieve the best possible result. It won’t be easy to overtake anyone because it’s so tight at the front. But we’ll do our best and then get the car right again for the GP qualifying so we can give it another go.”

Topic of the week

Topic of the week: Aprilia comeback? The truth is: Aprilia never went away!

Four weeks ago, Aprilia headed into the summer break from Germany with a badly injured Marco Bezzecchi. The response came from the heart of British motor racing: ‘Together we are strong!’

Thomas Kuttruf

Read more

TV program

Tomorrow

Zandvoort: Sprintrennen

FIA Formula One World Championship

22.08.2026 - 11:30