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Max Verstappen set the fastest time in the first practice session for the Italian Grand Prix, which was marked by an unfortunate start to the F1 career of 18-year-old Andrea Kimi Antonelli. The Italian managed only five laps in front of his home crowd before losing control of his car at Alboreto, the last corner still known as Parabolica, and crashing into the barriers. The car, which will be driven by George Russell for the rest of the weekend, sustained significant damage.
Antonelli was unharmed, but the impact with the barriers caused considerable damage to the car. The incident occurred after just 11 minutes, leading to a 12-minute red flag period.
What Wolff has been saying over the past few months has proven to be very true. The Italian is still inexperienced and will need some time to adjust to the new environment. However, the Mercedes boss is placing his hopes on Antonelli, hoping that the Italian will meet expectations and demonstrate his dominance to the world in the near future. Antonelli is not only desired by Mercedes but also by other teams who would love to have him on their roster. Many consider him one of the greatest talents, and there's no doubt that the 18-year-old has the potential to meet these expectations.
Regarding other drivers, it has also been equally interesting. Much attention has been focused particularly on Ferrari and McLaren, two teams that many see as potential candidates to dethrone Red Bull.
Charles Leclerc finished second in his Ferrari, two-tenths of a second behind Verstappen. He was separated from his teammate Carlos Sainz by Lando Norris in the McLaren. Valtteri Bottas, who was unexpectedly high up, spent a good part of the session at the top but ended up fifth, four and a half tenths behind the fastest time and just one thousandth behind Sainz.
Oscar Piastri, Lewis Hamilton, and Alexander Albon were half a second behind, while Sergio Perez and Fernando Alonso rounded out the top ten with a six-tenths deficit. Most of the fastest times were set on soft tires, with the exceptions being Daniel Ricciardo and Nico Hülkenberg on mediums.
Many also focused their attention on Colapinto, a driver who could be a big surprise in the next period.
Another debutant, Franco Colapinto, who is replacing Logan Sargeant from this weekend, narrowly avoided an accident at the same spot as Antonelli towards the end of the session. However, the Argentine just went wide and into the gravel, without hitting the barriers. Esteban Ocon also had a minor incident at the very end when he spun in the first corner.
The second practice session starts at 5 PM.
Kimi Antonelli's situation
Antonelli expressed his apologies to his team via radio for the incident, and Toto Wolff responded graciously, emphasizing that Kimi has no reason to worry and that everything is okay. The most important thing is that the young driver emerged unscathed. Kimi will surely not let such events affect him for the rest of the season, considering he is a driver with immense potential and someone who can truly achieve great things.
Bradley Lord reacts
Mercedes' chief communications officer, Bradley Lord, confirmed in a media interview that the young driver is at the medical center, where he is being checked to ensure that he is okay. Lord hopes that the car will also be in good condition and is waiting to see what will happen next.
The team was testing a new floor update introduced at the Spa circuit. Antonelli and Lewis each had a car equipped with the update, both using soft tires. Antonelli was advised to take the car out and get a feel for how the new setup performed. Unfortunately, he ended up having an accident. Despite the crash, it's noted that Antonelli was pushing the car to its limits from the beginning, which is seen as a positive aspect of the learning experience.
Lord explained that extensive preparation was done at the factory, involving engineers working with simulations to understand the changes and how the car operates from a driving perspective. Antonelli had also accumulated thousands of kilometers this season testing a 2022 car, which was a crucial part of his preparation. This testing has been integral to his overall readiness.
Mercedes has serious intentions and they don't want to leave things to chance. The German team wants to establish dominance, showing again that they are a team that deserves respect and is ready to stand out on the F1 scene as the main candidate for winning the championship, at least from the next season.
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