19/05/2025 15:10
Mercedes has revealed the reason behind Kimi Antonelli's heartbreak
exit from the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix. Antonelli endured a
difficult qualifying session at Imola and failed to progress into
the top 10 shootout. Lining up in 13th, the 18-year-old progressed
into the points as he made use of the alternative strategy which
allowed him to get a cheap pit stop under a virtual safety car.
However, just minutes after switching from the hard tyres to the
mediums, his car began to run into issues, leading to his
retirement from the race. "It was a shame to finish like this," the
rookie told media including RacingNews365 . "We were lucky with
the virtual safety car, but obviously it was also the risk of
trying the alternative strategy. Antonelli revealed his car dipped
in and out of being able to deliver full power before it failed
completely - resulting in the non-finish of his F1 career. "On the
medium, already after two three laps, I started to have an issue
with the throttle and then started to have less power on the
straight. "But it was a bit inconsistent as well, because one lap
the power was okay, but then another lap, I was losing a lot. "It
was not easy, and then unfortunately, it went off completely. It's
a shame to end up like this. "Now we need to review what happened
this whole weekend in order to be back stronger in Monaco." Kimi
Antonelli fears Imola exit from F1 calendar With Imola's contract
expiring at the end of the 2025 season and vast interest from other
venues to host F1, its position on the calendar is in great
jeopardy. While Antonelli would retain a home race at the historic
Monza track, which traditionally signals the end of the European
leg of the season, the Mercedes driver outlined it would be a shame
to lose Imola from the schedule. "It would be a shame not to have
Imola anymore on the calendar," Antonelli said. "It's an amazing
track - it's not my lucky track. In four years [of racing], I've
always had an issue [at Imola]. "So it's not my lucky track, but I
still love it. The layout is amazing and it would be cool to have
it on the calendar in the future years."
