Kimi Antonelli vs. Ferrari "smash" Italian fans? Daddy Marco has his say
Andrea Kimi Antonelli also won the Monaco Grand Prix, with a masterful performance in Monte Carlo complete with Grand Chelem (pole position, fastest lap and victory leading the race from start to finish). The Bolognese triumphed in the Principality by beating the Ferraris, particularly that of Lewis Hamilton in second (Charles Leclerc retired due to an accident when he was in third place). It is a detail that is beginning to create a small crack among Italian fans, some of whom are dividing between support for the Cavallino’s Rosse and support for a homegrown champion who nonetheless drives for rival Mercedes. An apparent contradiction on which Marco, father of the very young Formula 1 world championship leader, dwelled.
Told by ‘Sky Sport’ about the potential “rift” among Italian fans, Marco Antonelli made no secret of saying his piece: “Ferrari is always Ferrari. And if it wins I am happy, because I am Italian and therefore I was born a Ferrari fan. Then of course it is right that you also root for Kimi, because you have to be objective and give credit depending on what happens on the track each weekend. He is very good, but you also have to be in the right place at the right time. In Mercedes he found himself with a fast car, and that is his luck. He then is deserving these results because he is not making mistakes. However, let’s also give credit to the team, which made a super car.”
“I hope Kimi’s example will serve many young guys, to have a goal in life and pursue it until they have achieved it. I mean any goal, not necessarily to become a champion in sports but also a good person in life. Because that is so much needed,” added dad Antonelli.
On a purely sporting level, Antonelli’s race was simply flawless. The 19-year-old from Bologna dominated all 78 laps scheduled, lucidly handling the two Safety Car interruptions and the red flag shown twelve laps from the end due to the deterioration of the road surface at the last corner. On the restart from a standstill, Kimi immediately took the lead over Hamilton, securing the win without ever trembling. Also on the podium was Isack Hadjar, the author of his first podium finish of the season and his first in his career for Red Bull, although the Franco-Algerian remained under investigation for a long time for an alleged infraction committed during the red flag period.
For Antonelli, this is his fifth consecutive victory, a streak that also earns him a historic record: he is the first driver to score four victories in a row in his second year in Formula 1. In Monte Carlo, he also became the youngest ever poleman on the Principality’s circuit, signing a time of 1’12″051 in Saturday’s qualifying. A performance all the more significant considering that Friday’s free practice had seen him struggling, with the Ferraris of Hamilton and Leclerc dominating the scene: “I was worried after Friday, but this morning from the first lap the car seemed to have come back to life. We twisted the setup and certainly the car gave me a lot more confidence,” the Mercedes driver had explained after the pole.
Great bitterness, however, for Charles Leclerc, who experienced a Sunday to forget at his home circuit. Ferrari’s Monegasque lost control of his SF-26 at the Anthony Noghes corner during the restart after the Safety Car, ending up against the barriers. Post-race, at Sky Sports microphones, Leclerc ruled out a driving error, pointing the finger at a malfunction in the braking system: “I’m not the type to make excuses or hide behind alibis. Even reviewing the data, it is clear that there was nothing I could have done. When I was braking, the behavior of the car was abnormal: at the rear there seemed to be no braking, while at the front the response was excessive. The temperatures were not correct and the brakes were not working as they should. A dangerous situation.” However, the Ferrarista stressed that the team has already identified a solution, adopting from the next race the same braking configuration chosen by Hamilton in the last three outings.
Day to forget also for George Russell, who finished fourteenth after a penalty for speeding in the pit lane, aggravated by a drive through for not having properly served the initial penalty. Emblematically, the Briton was lapped by teammate Antonelli as early as lap 55. Out of the picture right from the start, however, was Max Verstappen: lined up on the front row alongside Antonelli, the Dutchman stopped after a few meters due to a power unit problem, returning to the pits at the end of the first lap. Similar fate for Lando Norris, reigning world champion and winner in Monte Carlo twelve months earlier, who was forced to retire on lap 45 due to a mechanical failure.
