Martin Brundle lets Kimi Antonelli know his true thoughts after Miami GP incident
Kimi Antonelli narrowly avoided a pitlane incident with Max Verstappen at the Miami Grand Prix Sprint, with Sky Sports F1 pundit Martin Brundle full of praise for the youngster
Sky Sports F1 pundit Martin Brundle has praised Kimi Antonelli for his "brilliant job" in dodging a serious pitlane clash with Max Verstappen. Despite starting from pole position in the Miami Grand Prix Sprint, Antonelli couldn't make the most of it due to two separate incidents during the race.
Initially, the Mercedes youngster veered off the track while trying to maintain his lead over Oscar Piastri, claiming he was forced off - though stewards didn't pursue his complaint.
Later on, Verstappen collided with Antonelli when the Red Bull mechanics released him too soon in the pit lane, resulting in a 10-second penalty for the world champion. Nonetheless, Antonelli's day ended in disappointment as he crossed the line in 10th place, missing out on points.
Brundle didn't hold back on compliments for the young driver, however, reassuring Antonelli that his quick reflexes spared his team from a worse accident with Verstappen. After the impact, Antonelli swiftly adjusted his steering, ensuring he continued down the pit lane without hitting any of his crew.
The F1 pundit said: "Young man, you did a brilliant job to avoid that, because that would have spun him into a load of mechanics."
Brundle's Sky Sports colleague, Anthony Davidson, who is also simulation driver for Mercedes, expressed grave concerns over what might have been.
He said: "You look at the reaction from Antonelli's steering wheel. He sees him and gets out of it, even though he wants to be coming into his own pit box to get rid of these awful, battered old intermediates. He's desperate to go on the slicks, but he can't because he's got a Red Bull in his way.
"Although there's contact, you have to say, hats off to Kimi for protecting, in that moment of avoidance, these guys here. They were so vulnerable. I dread to think what could have happened with these big, heavy cars at 60kph. It doesn't bear thinking about.
"Thanks to his quick reactions and avoidance, everybody can learn from it, but walk away from it. Yes, there was a bit of damage on the car from Verstappen. That's a small thing to deal with [compared to] what could have been."
Antonelli's pole position in the sprint race meant he became the youngest ever pole-sitter since Sebastian Vettel did it over 17 years ago. While Vettel was 21 at the time he set the record, the prodigious 18-year-old talent from Mercedes has smashed the achievement, earning kudos from his team and competitors alike.
Ex-Mercedes ace and the man who came before Kimi, Lewis Hamilton, took to social media to laud the young talent, writing: "Amazing lap @kimi.antonelli. So happy for you guys @mercedesamgf1."
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