Latest news with #Antonelli
TimesLIVE
4 days ago
- Automotive
- TimesLIVE
Bortoleto clarifies comment about putting Antonelli in the wall
Sauber's Gabriel Bortoleto said a team radio clip of him apparently threatening to put Mercedes rival Kimi Antonelli 'in the wall' at last Sunday's Monaco Grand Prix was edited and gave a false impression. The Brazilian was speaking to his race engineer after a first lap battle between the rookies ended with Bortoleto hitting the tyre wall at Portier, before the tunnel, as Antonelli went through on the inside. The stewards decided to take no further action over the incident. 'People take parts of something and they clip it and it's not like this,' Bortoleto said at the Spanish Grand Prix on Thursday. 'I spoke to Kimi after the race. We have, I believe, respect [for] each other since we were 10, 11 years old when we were racing in go-karts together. 'People clipped it [the radio chat] but I asked my engineer 'What happened, did he get a penalty for that?' and then he said 'No, no penalty for what happened there'. 'So I was like 'OK, so basically if I do the same, I put him in the wall and then it doesn't get [me] a penalty for that?'. But [they] took it in a way that it looks like I'm going to smash the guy in the wall. But we are not here to hurt anyone.' Bortoleto is yet to score a point in eight races with Sauber while Italian Antonelli, 18, has made an impressive debut with Mercedes since taking the seat vacated by seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton.
Straits Times
5 days ago
- Automotive
- Straits Times
Bortoleto clarifies comment about putting Antonelli in the wall
BARCELONA - Sauber's Gabriel Bortoleto said a team radio clip of him apparently threatening to put Mercedes rival Kimi Antonelli "in the wall" at last Sunday's Monaco Grand Prix was edited and gave a false impression. The Brazilian was speaking to his race engineer after a first lap battle between the rookies ended with Bortoleto hitting the tyre wall at Portier, before the tunnel, as Antonelli went through on the inside. The stewards decided to take no further action over the incident. "Obviously, people take parts of something and they clip it and it's not like this," Bortoleto said at the Spanish Grand Prix on Thursday. "I spoke to Kimi after the race. We have, I believe, respect (for) each other since we were 10, 11 years old when we were racing in go-karts together. "People clipped it (the radio chat) but actually I asked my engineer "What happened, did he get a penalty for that?' and then he said 'No, no penalty for what happened there'. "So I was like 'OK, so basically if I do the same I put him in the wall and then it doesn't get (me) a penalty for that?'. But (they) took it in a way that it looks like I'm going to smash the guy in the wall. But we are not here to hurt anyone." Bortoleto has yet to score a point in eight races with Sauber while Italian Antonelli, 18, has made an impressive debut with Mercedes since taking the seat vacated by seven-times world champion Lewis Hamilton. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Daily Mirror
6 days ago
- Automotive
- Daily Mirror
'Put him in the wall' – Antonelli on receiving end of brutal comment from rival
Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli was threatened by Sauber F1 driver Gabriel Bortoleto in an X-rated and unseen radio message during Sunday's Monaco Grand Prix An un-televised radio message has uncovered the shocking moment Gabriel Bortoleto commented about putting Kimi Antonelli"in the wall" after their Monaco Grand Prix flashpoint. The Formula One rookies were involved in a first-lap incident at Monte Carlo which resulted in Sauber's Bortoleto crashing into the barrier at Portier. Mercedes ' Antonelli was on a mission to make amends for a qualifying mistake that left him starting 15th on the grid. He lost a position to Bortoleto in the first lap thanks to a slick manoeuvre by the Brazilian at the hairpin. Antonelli, just moments later, sought to take the position back with an ambitious move down Bortoleto's inside at the tricky right hander. Although they avoided contact, Bortoleto was squeezed out and went straight into the wall. Bortoleto had to pit for a new wing while Antonelli managed to escape a penalty from the stewards. The incident left Bortoleto fuming over his former F2 rival's aggressive driving, even stating that he'd give Antonelli a taste of his own medicine next time he came across the Italian on the track. A radio message emerged in the aftermath of the race where Sauber's race engineer could be heard telling Bortoleto to reverse after his collision. The Brazilian vented: 'Kimi pushed me off! Is the car OK?' as his engineer responded: 'Our front wing is damaged, front wing is damaged. We are boxing to change the front wing. And we saw what happened.' Bortoleto continued: 'F*** it. Antonelli, man! Desperated [sic] kid!' Later, after he had recovered, Bortoleto closed in on Antonelli and asked: 'I think we are catching Antonelli here. Did he get a penalty for what he did?' The Sauber engineer replied: 'So, Gabi, we are all on the same train and he did not get a penalty. He did not get a penalty,' before Bortoleto threatened: 'OK. I will put him in the wall next time.' Despite having to make three pit stops, Bortoleto managed a 14th place finish. Meanwhile, Antonelli recorded his worst F1 result, finishing in 18th place. Bortoleto didn't hold back when airing his feelings about Antonelli after the race, saying: 'It's a shame what happened there on the first lap, I think I managed to make a very solid move in Turn 6 in the hairpin, so it was very nice around the outside and I gained a position. "Obviously, he doesn't want to see any car ahead of him, losing a position in Monaco is quite embarrassing, it's bad because normally, historically you don't lose position but you don't gain as well. 'And I think he tried a very optimistic move there. We have seen a lot of crashes there in the past, it's not the first time. He didn't touch me, but he just went straight and to avoid crashing into him, I crashed into the wall and destroyed my front wing, needed to reverse, go back to the pits and unfortunately that's how my race ended up.' Antonelli, however, defended his decision to pass Bortoleto at a section of the track where overtaking is notably difficult, claiming he was ahead of the Sauber at the apex of the corner. He said: 'It was an aggressive move but at the end of the day, I didn't touch him. And also at the apex, I was ahead. 'Of course, you don't want to see him in the wall and my intention was not to put him in the wall. But at the end of the day, I didn't touch him and I tried my best to give him as much space as possible. But, of course, you know, Monaco is very tight and it can happen.' Bortoleto won F2 while driving for Invicta Racing last year but the 20-year-old is currently joint bottom of the F1 drivers' standings, having failed to earn a single point since joining the Audi-owned Sauber team. Antonelli, meanwhile, has racked up 48 points after stepping into Lewis Hamilton's shoes at the Silver Arrows.
Daily Mirror
25-05-2025
- Automotive
- Daily Mirror
Toto Wolff knew Monaco GP blunder was coming - and his response speaks volumes
Kimi Antonelli became the latest in a long line of victims to the Monaco Grand Prix street circuit when he crashed his Mercedes while pushing during F1 qualifying On the face of things, the last couple of weeks have been a chastening experience for young Kimi Antonelli. After failing to manage his energy at Imola, resulting in a Q2 elimination in qualifying before a mechanical DNF in the race, he crashed while pushing too hard in Monaco. It was the sort of error many great drivers have made before him. The tight and twisty Monaco street circuit is not for the faint of heart and even the most minor of miscalculations can end in disaster, making it especially difficult for rookies who have never been around it in a Formula 1 car. Antonelli was one of those and found out how tough it is the hard way, clipping the inside barrier in the first part of the Nouvelle Chicane before burying the nose of his Mercedes into the wall. And that was the end of his qualifying, meaning he started Sunday's race 15th. Two such poor qualifying results on back-to-back race weekends would usually be a concern for a team like Mercedes. But though they have fast-tracked Antonelli into F1, they have made it clear that they will approach his development with plenty of patience now that he is there. They believe the young Italian can be the next big superstar of the sport if they help him to develop at the right rate. And team principal Toto Wolff made it clear he was expecting some difficult periods for the 18-year-old when speaking even before the season began. The Austrian said of his teenage starlet: "Kimi is going to learn, and sometimes we will tear our hair out, and other times, we will see moments of brilliance. But it is going to be a year of managing expectations for Kimi and preparing our driver line-up for 2026." Antonelli has already shown impressive maturity beyond his years in recent weeks, to match his undeniable talent. After the Imola race, he was the first to hold his hands up and admit he had got his approach to his first F1 home race all wrong and that he had failed to properly manage his energy. And he was open about his "unnecessary and costly" crash as he spoke after qualifying in Monaco too. "I'm gutted by how today's qualifying session went," he said. "We are always close to the limit in Monaco and the line between getting it right and getting it wrong is thin. That is particularly true come qualifying. "I tried to find those missing tenths but ultimately had an unnecessary and costly mistake. I turned slightly earlier than usual in turn 10 and clipped the barrier. I damaged the front, and I know there was nothing I could do from there and was a passenger into the barrier. I had enough pace to get through to the latter parts of qualifying, so it was a costly error." To make matters worse for Mercedes, George Russell suffered a loss of power in Q2 which saw him come to a stop on track and fail to set a time in that part of the session. That meant he would start 14th on the grid, just one place ahead of Antonelli with both several spots away from the points-paying positions.
Daily Mirror
25-05-2025
- Automotive
- Daily Mirror
Kimi Antonelli makes frank admission before Monaco GP – 'I need to learn'
Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli has admitted that he needs to 'learn to say no' from the Monaco Grand Prix onwards, after feeling overwhelmed by the support of his fans at Imola Mercedes' rising star Kimi Antonelli has candidly opened up about feeling the intense pressure from the fans at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, a stone's throw away from his birthplace in Bologna. The Formula 1 newcomer found himself amidst a whirlwind of attention in only his seventh outing in the sport. Speaking humbly, the youngster who was brought in to replace the departed Lewis Hamilton admitted he's still got to master the art of balancing fan interactions with personal space, especially as the fervent crowd may have contributed to his less-than-stellar performance and early exit from the race. Antonelli's car was retired in Italy thanks to a throttle issue, and now, with Monaco GP qualifying in the books, the Silver Arrows have all but thrown their chance of signincant points out the window with an abysmal starting grid spot of P14 for George Russell, and P15 for the youngster who has shed some light on the lessons he is learning in F1. "I need to learn sometimes to say 'no' and take a bit more time for myself," confessed the 18-year-old as he contemplated how last weekend unfolded. "I absolutely love the support of the fans. I just think on my side, I didn't manage the energy that well, and that compromised definitely the performance on track. "I could feel it. I was not as relaxed. I was a bit more tense while driving. So, ahead of the next home race [the Italian GP in September], it was a really good lesson." Antonelli had a tough time in Italy, starting 13th on the grid after a sub-par qualifying session and eventually retiring after struggling with overheating tyres. In contrast, his teammate George Russell had a stronger qualifying session, securing P3, but also faced overheating issues during the race, reports the Express. As a result, Russell was overtaken by Ferrari's Charles Leclerc and Hamilton, as well as Lando Norris and Alex Albon, ultimately finishing a lowly P7. Despite the challenges in Imola and now Monaco, Mercedes spokesperson Bradley Lord remains optimistic, believing that the team will learn from their experience and adapt for future races, including the summer visit to Monza. "For all of us, and for Kimi, the highest priority first and foremost is performance," Lord told Autosport. "We knew this would be a big weekend, and there's been a lot of attention. I think within the team, we've seen him as focused as ever and concentrated. "But, obviously, experiencing all of this for the first time, all the things you can control but also all the things you can't control, is a new phenomenon. "We've got to view it as a learning experience, understand what were the moments that lifted him and gave him energy, and which bits potentially felt like overload. "And then we'll adapt for both busy race weekends and particularly for the next home race in Italy in September as we go forward," concluded Lord.
