With a place on the second starting row, Andrea Kimi Antonelli does not start the very last Dutch GP as hoped. After just missing the podium during the sprint race, the young Italian fell short of pole position during qualifying. “I think this weekend has been a good wake-up call after the summer break,” concludes Kimi Antonelli.
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Andrea Kimi Antonelli is experiencing a disappointing weekend by his standards at Zandvoort. Due to a mistake in the sprint qualifying, the young Italian was not in contention for the podium places during the sprint on Saturday. A second mistake during the qualifying for the main event on Sunday meant he missed out on pole.
‘Zandvoort is a good wake-up call’
“I think this weekend has been a good wake-up call after the summer break, that you should never let your vigilance slip,” said the Mercedes driver after qualifying. “Especially with a view to the upcoming races. To be honest, I struggled with the balance throughout the session. Especially in sector 3 I had trouble in the chicane. But then I made a few adjustments and the feeling came back.”
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Usually, drivers set a fast lap only at the very last moment during a qualifying session. However, because rain was forecast just before the end of the session, teams sent their drivers out earlier. “In the last lap I of course made a mistake in sector 1,” continues Kimi Antonelli. “I was driving just a bit too cautiously because I saw the rain on my visor and yes, it was really a bad sector 1. A shame, because I think we had a chance at pole.”
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