Mercedes rookie Andrea Kimi Antonelli admitted he “pushed a bit too hard” in second practice for the Italian Grand Prix at Monza, after a trip through the gravel cut short his home session. But the 19-year-old insists his confidence remains intact as he looks to rebound on Saturday.
Just nine minutes into FP2, Antonelli lost the rear of his W16 at the second Lesmo corner, on his second push lap. He managed to catch the initial slide but couldn’t avoid running wide into the gravel, where his Mercedes became beached and brought out a red flag.
The early exit cost the young Italian valuable mileage, particularly on a weekend where the Italian is eager to impress in front of his home crowd. Still, the teenager brushed off the setback.
“I just pushed a bit too hard for the grip at that moment and it was a shame,” Antonelli explained. “The day was looking good. I had a good FP1 and then the start of FP2 was looking strong, so confidence is still high.
“Obviously, tomorrow we'll have to do a bit of a different programme but we'll try to be ready for anything.”
©Mercedes
The incident marked Antonelli’s second difficult Friday at Monza in as many years, following his FP1 debut in 2024 that ended in the barriers at Parabolica just minutes into his session.
Teammate George Russell also endured a challenging afternoon, finishing 10th in FP2 and conceding almost four tenths of a second to pacesetter Lando Norris in the McLaren. Russell admitted he was wrestling with confidence in Mercedes’ low-downforce package.
“It didn't feel amazing out there. I was struggling for a bit of confidence and I had a few moments similar to like Kimi,” the Briton explained. “It was just difficult to keep the car in a good spot.
“It was a tricky day at Monza, you're back on that low downforce car, sort of floating around and the rear's pretty loose. It didn't feel spectacular out there for us today.
“Usually three tenths off would be just behind McLarens, so it's tight and I expect that to be the same tomorrow.”
Mercedes trackside engineering director Andrew Shovlin is banking on overnight improvements to improve the Silver Arrows’ pace at the Temple of Speed.
“Given how close the field looks, small improvements overnight may have a big impact over the rest of the weekend,” he said.
“We will work diligently with our team-mates both trackside and back at Brackley and Brixworth to get the most out of the car. It's difficult to overtake here so we'll be doing everything we can to have a strong qualifying and secure good starting positions for the grid on Sunday.”
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