Kimi Antonelli has conceded the pressure of being the home driver at Imola got to him after a scruffy performance.

The Italian’s home race was ultimately ended by a mechanical issue but before then, the teenager had struggled in quali and the race itself.

Kimi Antonelli reflects on ‘compromised’ first home race

Additional reporting by Thomas Maher

His appearance in Saturday’s qualifying was cut short when he was eliminated in Q2, down in 13th place behind the Ferrari team-mates in what was a disappointing day for Italy.

He was hoping to fight back on Sunday and was running in eighth place when a crippling throttle failure put him out of the Grand Prix on lap 46.

Antonelli represented the first Italian at Imola since Antonio Giovinazzi in 2021, and the home crowd were happy to see one of their own on the grid.

However, for as much as he enjoyed the adulation, Antonelli did concede that it clouded his preparation for the weekend.

“I absolutely love the support of the Italian fans,” he told media including PlanetF1.com. “I just think on my side, I didn’t manage my energy that well, and that compromised the performance on track.

“But it was a really good lesson, because I could feel it. I was not as relaxed. Was a bit more tense while driving. So, you know, ahead of the next home race [in Monza], it was a really good lesson. But now, we will focus on Monaco because it’s going to be important to be on top of the game.”

Antonelli was forced to retire in Lap 46 as he lost control of his throttle but revealed the issue had been bothering long before then.

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“After two or three laps [after the VSC], I started to have the issue with the throttle then unfortunately it went off completely.

“I was losing power, and sometimes the sensor was going crazy, so it’s a shame but these are things that can happen. For sure without the problem, the pace would have been much better.

“But I need to still work on my driving, to see where I can improve, and also to improve the race pace, especially with the hot temperature. I think when it’s cold, the pace is really good, it’s much better, and also for me it’s much easier to manage the tyre, I need to still work on it when it’s hot.”

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