Andrea Kimi Antonelli believes he has found a key difference in his driving style compared to George Russellthat he needs to improve.
The 18-year-old Italian has contested two races so far with Mercedes, showing off his impressive car control at the Australian Grand Prix having avoided a crash on the opening lap just moments before Jack Doohan.
He finished fourth on his debut after Mercedes successfully appealed a late-race penalty for an unsafe release in the pit lane, and in eighth place at the following race in China.
The Chinese GP had high tyre attrition and was all about managing the front tyres, something Antonelli believes he could improve when discussing where his driving style differs in an interview with The Race.
Andrea Kimi Antonelli thinks he needs to improve tyre management
One of Antonelli’s strengths as a driver is his ability to know where the optimum lap time is pretty early on during a weekend, with the Italian showcasing his ability to recall lap times from tracks when racing in junior formulas.
Although Antonelli had several kilometres in an older Mercedes during the winter break, it is his first year working with the complex Pirelli tyres. The Italian thinks this is one area he could improve to beat teammate Russell.
“I have a slight tendency to push the entries more compared to him,” said Antonelli.
“Where I need to improve is trusting that combined traction from the tyres, because definitely I’m still too easy on [the] tyre on that side. It’s really pushing the limit.
“But I think also that comes a lot from the warm-up, because when you have the tyres in the right window, you definitely feel the grip is there and you have automatically more confidence to push. Most of it comes from warm-up, trying to get in the right window. Then [there’s] obviously a few other bits to work on.”
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Everyone excited to work with Andrea Kimi Antonelli behind the scenes
The first two races have went down well in the Mercedes camp, with them walking away feeling it was a strong start to the season given his limited experience.
Mercedes views Antonelli as a shining prospect for the future, which is why they have built a support network around him to help get used to F1.
Andrew Shovlin says the team is ‘excited’ to work with Antonelli for the rest of the season, knowing there is a lot of potential and scope to be successful.
Antonelli could become the first rookie to win in his debut season in Mercedes history, as the team has historically only ever employed former world champions.
