#F1 #ItalianGP - Was Antonelli Too Fast For His Own Good? - F1 Italian GP Friday News and Analysis: Autosport

30 August 2024

Jon Noble and Alex Kalinauckas discuss Kimi Antonelli's rapid but short-lived Formula 1 debut, as well as analysis on the long-run pace of Ferrari, Red Bull, Mercedes and McLaren from Free Practice 1 and 2 at the 2024 Italian GP.

#F1 #ItalianGP #lewishamilton44 #lewishamilton #georgelewis #MonzaGP #mercedesamgf1

30 August 2024

F1: Session Report

2024 Italian Grand Prix - Friday

Eventful first day on track in Monza.

The team took to the resurfaced Autodromo Nazionale Monza for the opening day of on-track running ahead of this weekend's Italian Grand Prix.

Kimi Antonelli made his race weekend F1 debut in FP1 at Monza, taking the place of George Russell.

Unfortunately, his session came to an early end as he suffered a sizeable accident into Parabolica.

Lewis completed his work on the Soft compound tyre, finishing the session in P7.

George returned to the car for FP2, getting out onto circuit 20 minutes into the session after the mechanics had repaired the W15.

He completed work on both the Medium and Soft compounds, although a mid-session red flag limited his running to 20 laps.

Lewis also ran on both the yellow and red-walled tyres, using the Soft tyre to post the fastest lap time of the day.

The team has plenty of data to run through this evening ahead of returning to the circuit tomorrow for FP3.

Driver

FP1

FP2

Lewis Hamilton

24 Laps

1:22.214

P7

Soft, Soft

24 Laps

1:20.738

P1

Medium, Soft, Medum

George Russell

20 Laps

1:21.086

P6

Medium, Soft

Kimi Antonelli

5 Laps

1:23.955

P20

Soft

Lewis Hamilton

I'm happy that Kimi was OK as that was a big accident. The main thing that matters is that he was OK. In terms of our car performance, it's been a good day. This new tarmac and the smoother kerbs have presented an interesting challenge, but the car has felt good from the start. There seemed to be some graining up and down the field in FP1 and people struggling with the tyres. We made some solid changes ahead of FP2 and the car took a step forward in that final hour. There's still some work for us to do overnight both here and at the factory, particularly around the long run, so we can be as competitive as possible over the rest of the weekend.

George Russell

Firstly, I'm glad to see that Kimi was OK. It's never nice to see a crash that size and the first thing that matters is that he wasn't hurt. The mechanics did a great job to get the car ready for FP2. We got a good 30 minutes of running before and after the red flag so a big thank you to them.

The car seems to be looking good. Lewis did a great job to top the timing screens. I had a couple of push lap efforts at the end of FP2 but was mainly focused on the long run. The resurfaced track meant that it looked to be ramping up quite a lot throughout the day. We need to be alive to it evolving over the rest of the weekend. We've got a lot of good data to go through, even though it wasn't the most productive Friday I've ever had on my side.

Kimi Antonelli

It's been quite a day here in Monza. Unfortunately, my first FP1 session ended quite quickly with a big crash. It was measured at 52G, so it was a heavy one. I am not feeling 100% so I will have an easy night this evening and rest ahead of the rest of the weekend. I am sorry to the team and to George as it is not how we wanted the hour to go. It was a pure mistake from my side where I was pushing just a bit too hard for the conditions. I should have built into the speed more progressively and it is something I will learn from.

I am still thankful to the team for making it possible for me to drive in FP1. It was great to drive in front of the tifosi and be on track with all the other drivers.

Andrew Shovlin, Trackside Engineering Director

We've had a busy day here in Monza. Kimi's accident luckily didn't do any damage to him, but the car took a big hit. Repairing it ate into George's session a little bit. That cost us some learning but we'll hopefully recover that ground in FP3 tomorrow.

Lewis had two strong sessions. The car seems to be working well, but there is not much to choose between the top few teams; it all looks very tight and from today's data there doesn't seem to be more than a couple of tenths separating the front of the field. For the race, managing the tyres looks like it is going to be a challenge. The new surface is causing quite high degradation and as soon as you push hard, the tyres start to drop. It is not an easy track to employ the necessary management without leaving yourself vulnerable to being overtaking, but it should lead to an interesting race.

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#F1 - Media Alert: 2025 Livery Revealed at F1 75 Live Extravaganza: Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS Team

 

Press Information 18 February 2025

 
F1: Media Alert
 
Media Alert: 2025 Livery Revealed at F1 75 Live Extravaganza

• F1 takes over the 02 Arena in London for star-studded F1 75 Live season launch in front of over 18,000 fans.
• The team revealed its 2025 livery on stage with CEO & Team Principal Toto Wolff, along with drivers George Russell and Kimi Antonelli speaking to host Laura Winter.
• Imagery from the event is available for use rights-free from the team's media site.

A star-studded event at London's 02 Arena saw F1's 75th anniversary season launched in front of 15,000 fans and millions watching worldwide.
 
The Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team launched its 2025 livery in a spectacular segment featuring a live pit stop demonstration, and words from Toto Wolff, George Russell, and Kimi Antonelli.
 
Toto Wolff said: "What an incredible evening and an event from F1. The sport continues to set new milestones with such occasions, and I hope the thousands watching in the arena, and everyone tuning in at home, thoroughly enjoyed it.
 
"Mercedes has a long history in motorsport and it's an unbelievable honour to carry that baton forward. We start to write the next chapter in our story this year with George and Kimi, and we're excited to get going."
 
George Russell commented: "Tonight has been an incredible event. It's amazing to see so many fans here and sharing the love of our sport. F1 continues to push the boundaries and set the bar even higher and it's so great to see. We've got a super exciting season ahead and I can't wait to get started. The new livery looks great and both Kimi and I will be pushing hard to achieve success on track."
 
Kimi Antonelli added: "It's been incredible to see so many fans here in London tonight. This is a very special way to start my first season in F1. It's a privilege to represent Mercedes and be racing for the works team. It's a great opportunity; I've been working hard over the winter to be as ready as possible and I'm excited to head to Bahrain and get out on track."
 
The team's 2025 challenger, the Mercedes-AMG F1 W16 E Performance, will be revealed on 24th February ahead of its first on-track running the next day in Bahrain.

webmaster       John Nichols      @itcracing      @Linkedin 

#F1 - 2024 Mexico City Grand Prix - Friday "Mixed Friday in Mexico" Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team

 

Press Information 25 October 2024

 
F1: Session Report
 
2024 Mexico City Grand Prix - Friday

 
Mixed Friday in Mexico

• The team opened the second race weekend of the triple-header with Kimi Antonelli fulfilling the second rookie session of the season, driving Lewis' car in FP1.
• He completed a condensed programme in a twice red flagged hour, whilst George topped the times with a strong lap on the Soft compound.
• FP2 was elongated to 90 minutes to accommodate Pirelli tyre testing of prototype 2025 compounds.
• Teams were mandated tyres, fuel loads, and run plans by the tyre manufacturer with set-up changes not allowed.
• Those drivers who didn't run in FP1 were also given an additional Medium tyre to use.
• George's session unfortunately came to an early end with a heavy crash at turn eight.
• Lewis meanwhile completed his Pirelli programme and was able to run the Medium tyre for one push lap at the end of the 90 minutes.

Driver	FP1				FP2
George Russell	24 Laps	1:17.998	P1	Hard, Soft, Hard	4 Laps	1:19.041	P18	Proto
Lewis Hamilton					36 Laps	1:18.279	P7	Base, Proto, Medium
Kimi Antonelli	19 Laps	1:19.200	P12	Hard, Soft

George Russell
It was a big hit, and I felt a bit winded initially. I'm OK but unfortunately the car wasn't. I am not sure what happened. I turned into the corner, trying to cut the line similarly to how I did in FP1. I'm not sure whether it was the kerb or the car bottoming out but it bounced a little and, before I had a chance to catch it, I was already in the wall.
 
There is a lot of work on for the team in the garage overnight now, unfortunately. It does feel like it is one thing after another at the moment. It is frustrating as we were strong in FP1 and topped the times. We lost out on a lot of laps in FP2 so FP3 will be important for us to get the car in a good place ahead of Qualifying and Sunday's race.
 
Lewis Hamilton
It was great to see Kimi do a really solid job for the team in FP1. It's been enjoyable working with and supporting him ahead of the session and the programme he carried out set us up well for the afternoon. It's not always easy to get straight up to speed having missed that opening practice but I got a good feeling from the car in FP2.
 
With the tyre test, we couldn't change anything on the car during the session. The red flag following George's crash almost meant we lost a decent chunk of running time. Nevertheless, I feel like we got a lot of good information to work through and utilise this evening as we look to make improvements for the rest of the weekend.
 
Kimi Antonelli
I wanted to deliver a clean FP1 session for the team today and I was pleased that I was able to do that. It was my first time driving the circuit here, so I stayed very much within the limit and just built my confidence lap-by-lap. Overall, it was a decent hour, and, despite the red flags, we gathered lots of data that will hopefully help the team over the rest of the weekend.
 
I was also able to build my understanding of the W15 too. We ran both the Hard and Soft compound and it was good to get a mixture of consecutive running and single lap work completed. Whilst there aren't any more FP1 sessions for me to take part in this year, I'm looking forward to continuing my programme with previous cars as we build towards 2025.
 
Andrew Shovlin, Trackside Engineering Director
FP1 ran smoothly with Kimi doing a solid job as he stepped in for his second rookie session, this time alongside George. We had a busy programme to get through and, despite the interruption of two red flags, were able to complete the majority of it. George meanwhile hit the ground running and felt particularly comfortable on the Soft tyre, topping the times at the end of the hour. With the mandated Pirelli tyre test for FP2, we knew how important getting good FP1 running would be.
 
That became even more true as George was unfortunate to lose the car at turn eight early in the extended FP2 session. It was a hefty shunt; fortunately, he was OK but the car fared less well. It has given us a decent amount of work to do to get the car ready for FP3 and we are already working through that. Lewis enjoyed a happier session and was comfortable with the car, although a bit frustrated that the tyre test meant he had no opportunity to work on the setup

Preview

Friday

Saturday

Sunday

webmaster     John Nichols    @itcracing    @Linkedin 

#F1 - 2025 Australian Grand Prix - Sunday "Strong Sunday nets P3 and P4 in chaotic season opener" Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team

 

Press Information 16 March 2025

 
F1: Session Report
 
2025 Australian Grand Prix - Sunday

 
Strong Sunday nets P3 and P4 in chaotic season opener

• George Russell finished third and Kimi Antonelli fourth in the season-opening Australian Grand Prix.
• The warm and sunny weather of the previous days gave way to rain and colder ambient temperatures on Sunday.
• The race got underway from a traditional standing start, but with the field all opting to be on the Intermediate tyre given the conditions.
• George, lining up P4, held position early on whilst Kimi, out of position in P16 having suffered floor damage in Qualifying, began methodically working his way through the field.
• With light drizzle falling in short bursts, the Intermediate remained the tyre of choice until a mid-race Safety Car offered the opportunity to switch to a dry tyre without losing position.
• Both George and Kimi switched to the Hard compound, and it looked like they would hold station with George in P4 and Kimi now inside the top-10 until a rain cell developed over the sea near the circuit.
• With just over 10 laps remaining, that rain arrived and a downpour, the heaviest of the Grand Prix, forced teams to adjust strategy.
• The team judged the crossover well and pitted George and Kimi for the Intermediate tyre on lap 44.
• That enabled them to cycle through to P3 and P5 respectively; Kimi then dispatched the Williams of Alex Albon for P4 in the closing stages.
• A five-second time penalty for an unsafe release dropped him back to P5 but that was subsequently rescinded post-race, capping an impressive and mature debut for the rookie 18-year-old.
• The Italian becomes the second-youngest points scorer in F1 history, and the youngest to score points on his debut.
• George meanwhile secured the first trophy of the season for the team, claiming his 16th top three finish in his F1 career.
• The team now moves on to Shanghai and the Chinese Grand Prix in seven days' time.
• Imagery of the day is available on our media site. All imagery is rights-free for editorial use.

Driver	Grid	Result	Fastest Lap
George Russell	P4	P3	1:25.065
Kimi Antonelli	P16	P4	1:24.901

Strategy	Start	Stop 1	Stop 2
No.63	Intermediate	Hard (L34)	Intermediate (L44)
No.12	Intermediate	Hard (L33)	Intermediate (L44)

George Russell
That was not an easy race for anyone, so I'm pleased to bring it home in P3, taking our first podium finish of the new season. Keeping it on the road was a challenge at times, particularly in the changeable conditions. There were moments when the rain became slightly heavier whilst running on worn Intermediates, and then near the end the downpour arrived when we were on slicks. The team did a great job operationally today and we definitely maximised the result. The pace of the car was enough for us to fight for the podium, but we know we've got to find more speed if we want to challenge McLaren in normal conditions.
 
Kimi did an amazing job for his first race. To come through from P16 to P4 at any time is impressive. To do it on his Grand Prix debut is therefore fantastic. He deserved that result after yesterday where he was unlucky to suffer floor damage in Qualifying. It's a positive start to the season for the whole team and we're excited to move on to Shanghai and see what we can do at next weekend's Chinese Grand Prix.
 
Kimi Antonelli
That was an incredibly eventful race! The conditions were super tricky out there. We had so many different conditions that we had to cope with today, but I think we did a good job as a team. I was happy with how we managed everything from start to finish and to come home P4, having started P16, is really positive. I definitely can't complain about how my debut race in F1 has gone. It was also great to see George up on the podium for the team. Whilst we didn't have the pace to challenge the McLarens, it's always good to pick up silverware.
 
The whole weekend has been a good learning experience. Being knocked out in Q1 after suffering floor damage yesterday was obviously disappointing. To bounce back today though, and experience so much in one race, is really good for my development as an F1 driver. We've had a strong first weekend and I'm looking forward to building on that in China next week.
 
Toto Wolff, Team Principal & CEO
Both drivers did a great job today in very challenging conditions. George drove a superb and controlled race to finish on the podium, whilst Kimi showed a great deal of maturity, in addition to the speed we know he has, to fight through from P16 to P4. The team executed the race well and operationally performed strongly. We saw many other drivers fail to make it to the flag, and other teams unable to take advantage of the opportunities that presented themselves, so we can be pleased with our Sunday.
 
The McLarens were incredibly quick today. We know we have to find more performance to be able to challenge them in normal conditions. We have clearly taken a step forward over the winter though and we can be encouraged by that. Both drivers have been working well together, the car is responding to their inputs, and it's a solid platform to build on. We look forward to doing that in China next weekend.
 
Andrew Shovlin, Trackside Engineering Director
We can be pleased with the start we made to the new season today. The conditions were difficult out there for both the drivers and the team operationally. They handled everything the race could throw at them calmly and efficiently though. We had many different conditions out there, and several challenging decision points, but we made the right choices at the right time. That is what helped us achieve a strong result today.
 
George drove a considered race and maximised the result possible. We didn't have the pace to challenge the McLarens at the front, so he focused on conserving his Intermediate tyres in the first half of the race. He handled the falling rain on the dry tyres well and brought the car home in the closing stages to secure our first podium of the season. We are also delighted with how Kimi performed on his debut. He was unfortunate in Qualifying yesterday but didn't let that deter him. It was an accomplished fightback, cutting through the field in the early stages, and then keeping the car on track when others were unable to do so as the rain fell. P4 is a great return for him.
 

We now head to China where we continue to build our knowledge of the W16, and our relative performance compared to our competitors. It is a very different type of circuit to Melbourne so will provide useful learnings. We will be looking for another strong weekend and to build on this positive first race of 2025.

Preview

Friday

Saturday

Sunday

webmaster       John Nichols      @itcracing      @Linkedin