Antonelli F1 debut derailed by floor damage in Melbourne
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Mercedes has revealed that damage to Kimi Antonelli's car floor significantly impacted his performance during qualifying for the Australian Grand Prix.
The young Italian, making his Formula 1 race debut in Melbourne, was knocked out in Q1 after setting the 16th fastest time, while his teammate George Russell secured fourth on the grid.
The 18-year-old's car appeared to scrape the ground during his final Q1 run, and Mercedes later confirmed that Antonelli had sustained damage to the W16 machine's bib, which compromised his performance and hampered his efforts.
"We saw bib damage on Kimi's car during his second run. That caused a loss of performance for his final two laps, unfortunately," the team stated.
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff elaborated on the incident, calling it a stroke of misfortune.
"A bit unfortunate for Kimi," Wolff told Sky Sports. "Run wide, not much wider than before, and broke the bib, the front assembly, but at least tomorrow he's going to have an exciting race - good for learning."
For Antonelli, the damage traced back to an unexpected encounter with debris.
"I did the same, to be honest, I did the same line as FP3," he explained. "It's just there was a big plot of gravel on the curb, and when I went through, it picked up quite a bit of damage."
The Cost of a Compromised Floor
The consequences of the gravel hit were immediate and severe. Antonelli detailed how the damaged floor hampered his car's performance in multiple ways.
"I mean I was losing quite a bit on the straights first of all because the floor was scrubbing on the track," he said.
The physical scraping wasn't the only issue as aerodynamic losses compounded his woes.
And then I lost quite a bit of air load because obviously the floor was not aligned as well because one part was on the tarmac scratching, so definitely it was quite the changeable conditions," he added.
©Mercedes
The rookie's frustration was palpable, knowing the car had shown promise earlier in the weekend.
"I think [it] was very, very positive, so that's why it's quite disappointing the result, because I felt we could have gone for a much better position, but it is what it is," he reflected.
The contrast with Russell's second-row start alongside Max Verstappen—behind only the dominant McLaren duo of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri—underscored what might have been for Antonelli without the mishap.
Looking Ahead to a Rainy Redemption
Despite the disappointment, Antonelli's focus quickly shifted to race day, where rain could level the playing field.
"I mean obviously it's raining [tomorrow], so many things can happen and we'll try to build something good from there with the progress," he said.
The forecast offered a glimmer of hope for the young Italian, whose debut had been marred by bad luck rather than a lack of pace.
"We'll try to move on and see what we can do tomorrow," he added, determined to turn a challenging start into a valuable lesson.
With Russell showcasing Mercedes' potential up the grid, Antonelli's P16 starting slot is a bitter pill – but one he's ready to swallow with an eye on redemption.
As the clouds roll in over Melbourne, the teenager's resilience and the team's support could yet turn his tough initiation into a tale of promise.
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