Latest news with #Antonelli
Gulf Weekly
19 hours ago
- Automotive
- Gulf Weekly
Antonelli paying price for ‘wrong steps' by Mercedes
Mercedes have made mistakes in developing their Formula One car and teenage Italian rookie Kimi Antonelli's struggles are a consequence of that, according to technical director James Allison. Antonelli, 18, finished third in Canada in June for his first F1 podium but has since failed to score. He has had two retirements since Montreal as well as 17th in a sprint race in Belgium last Saturday and then 16th in Sunday's main grand prix. The Italian, who took a sprint pole in Miami and is the sport's youngest ever race leader, has retired four times in the last seven rounds and admitted in Belgium he was lacking confidence in the car and not driving as he would like. 'I think he's, like the rest of us, massively fed up with a string of results that are well below what we were collectively achieving earlier in the year,' Allison said in an interview. 'I hope he takes some solace from the fact that we tell him, and it's demonstrably a fact, that we have taken the wrong steps with the car, making our team less competitive, and that he is paying the price for that, as is George (Russell). 'If the car isn't where it needs to be, then it will be a struggle getting through the qualifying stages in your rookie season in F1.' Allison said it was 'utterly clear' to everyone that the car needed to be better and Antonelli's fortunes would improve when it was. 'Hopefully he's listening to us as we say those reassuring words because we absolutely know that he is putting in the effort on his side of that bargain,' he added. Mercedes are third overall, 28 points behind second-placed Ferrari, with one win by Russell in Canada. Russell has been on the podium five times and is fourth overall with 157 points to Antonelli's 63. Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton, whose seat Antonelli took when the Briton moved to Ferrari, showed his support for the Italian after Saturday qualifying at Spa. 'He was telling me to keep my head up, and that it's normal to have bad weekends, and to just keep believing,' the Italian told reporters. Hamilton told Sky Sports television he could not imagine what the rookie was going through. 'He's been doing fantastic. But to be thrown in at the deep end at 18... he hadn't even had his driving licence when he first started racing,' he said.
News18
2 days ago
- Automotive
- News18
Rookie Kimi Antonelli 'Paying The Price' Due To Mercedes' Error, Admits Technical Director
Last Updated: Mercedes technical director James Allison defended Kimi Antonelli, attributing his struggles to the team's car development missteps, leading to confidence issues and retirements. How fast is too fast? Well, perhaps promoting an 18-year-old to the first team might just be that. Mercedes technical director James Allison has acknowledged that the team's recent development missteps have contributed to rookie Kimi Antonelli's struggles in his debut Formula 1 season. Antonelli, who came into Mercedes as Lewis Hamilton's replacement, made headlines in June by securing his first F1 podium with a third-place finish in Canada. However, he has since failed to score points, suffering two retirements, a 17th-place finish in the Belgian sprint, and 16th in the main Grand Prix on Sunday at Spa-Francorchamps. Despite an earlier sprint pole in Miami and becoming the youngest race leader in F1 history, Antonelli has now recorded four retirements in the last seven rounds. After the Belgian Grand Prix, he admitted to reporters that he was lacking confidence in the car and not driving at the level he expects of himself. However, Allison says that the poor run of form is not entirely his fault. 'He's Paying the Price" In a post-race debrief on Tuesday, Allison defended the young driver and pointed to the team's car development decisions as a key factor behind his struggles. 'I think he's, like the rest of us, massively fed up with a string of results that are well below what we were collectively achieving earlier in the year," Allison said. 'I hope he takes some solace from the fact that we tell him, and it's demonstrably a fact, that we have taken the wrong steps with the car, making our team less competitive, and that he is paying the price for that, as is George (Russell)." Allison added that it's particularly tough for a rookie to deliver when the car is underperforming. 'If the car isn't where it needs to be, then it will be a struggle getting through the qualifying stages in your rookie season in F1." Allison emphasized that Antonelli's results are expected to improve as the car's competitiveness returns. 'It's utterly clear to all of us that the car needs to be better, and if it is, his fortunes will pick up," he said. 'Hopefully, he's listening to us as we say those reassuring words, because we absolutely know that he is putting in the effort on his side of that bargain." Mercedes currently sit third in the constructors' standings, 28 points behind Ferrari, while McLaren, who are on top, are bulldozing the opposition in the race. (with agency inputs) Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
TimesLIVE
2 days ago
- Automotive
- TimesLIVE
Antonelli paying price for ‘wrong steps' by Mercedes
Mercedes have made mistakes in developing their Formula One car and teenage Italian rookie Kimi Antonelli's struggles are a consequence of that, according to technical director James Allison. Antonelli, 18, finished third in Canada in June for his first F1 podium but has since failed to score. He has had two retirements since Montreal and 17th in a sprint race in Belgium last Saturday and 16th in Sunday's main grand prix. The Italian, who took a sprint pole in Miami and is the sport's youngest ever race leader, has retired four times in the last seven rounds and admitted in Belgium he was lacking confidence in the car and not driving as he would like. "I think he's, like the rest of us, massively fed up with a string of results that are well below what we were collectively achieving earlier in the year," Allison said in a Belgian race debrief on Tuesday. "I hope he takes some solace from the fact that we tell him, and it's demonstrably a fact, that we have taken the wrong steps with the car, making our team less competitive, and he is paying the price for that, as is George (Russell). "If the car isn't where it needs to be, it will be a struggle getting through the qualifying stages in your rookie season in F1." Allison said it was "utterly clear" to everyone the car needed to be better and Antonelli's fortunes would improve when it was. "Hopefully he's listening to us as we say those reassuring words because we absolutely know he is putting in the effort on his side of the bargain," he said. Mercedes are third overall, 28 points behind second-placed Ferrari, with one win by Russell in Canada. Russell has been on the podium five times and is fourth overall with 157 points to Antonelli's 63. Seven-times world champion Lewis Hamilton, whose seat Antonelli took when the Briton moved to Ferrari, showed his support for the Italian after Saturday qualifying at Spa. "He was telling me to keep my head up, and that it is normal to have bad weekends, and to keep believing," the Italian told reporters. Hamilton told Sky Sports television he could not imagine what the rookie was going through. "He's been doing fantastic. But to be thrown in at the deep end at 18. He hadn't even had his driving licence when he started racing," he said.
Japan Times
2 days ago
- Automotive
- Japan Times
Teenager Antonelli paying price for 'wrong steps' by Mercedes
Mercedes has made mistakes in developing its Formula 1 car and teenage Italian rookie Kimi Antonelli's struggles are a consequence of that, according to technical director James Allison. Antonelli, 18, finished third in Canada in June for his first F1 podium but has since failed to score. He has had two retirements since Montreal as well as 17th in a sprint race in Belgium last Saturday and then 16th in Sunday's main grand prix. The Italian, who took a sprint pole in Miami and is the sport's youngest ever race leader, has retired four times in the last seven rounds and admitted in Belgium he was lacking confidence in the car and not driving as he would like. "I think he's, like the rest of us, massively fed up with a string of results that are well below what we were collectively achieving earlier in the year," Allison said in a Belgian race debrief on Tuesday. "I hope he takes some solace from the fact that we tell him, and it's demonstrably a fact, that we have taken the wrong steps with the car, making our team less competitive, and that he is paying the price for that, as is George (Russell). "If the car isn't where it needs to be, then it will be a struggle getting through the qualifying stages in your rookie season in F1." Allison said it was "utterly clear" to everyone that the car needed to be better and Antonelli's fortunes would improve when it was. "Hopefully he's listening to us as we say those reassuring words because we absolutely know that he is putting in the effort on his side of that bargain," he added. Mercedes is third overall, 28 points behind second-placed Ferrari, with one win by Russell in Canada. Russell has been on the podium five times and is fourth overall with 157 points to Antonelli's 63. Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton, whose seat Antonelli took when the Briton moved to Ferrari, showed his support for the Italian after Saturday qualifying at Spa. "He was telling me to keep my head up, and that it's normal to have bad weekends, and to just keep believing," the Italian told reporters. Hamilton told Sky Sports television he could not imagine what the rookie was going through. "He's been doing fantastic. But to be thrown in at the deep end at 18 ... he hadn't even had his driving licence when he first started racing," he said.
New Straits Times
2 days ago
- Automotive
- New Straits Times
Teenager Antonelli paying price for 'wrong steps' by Mercedes
LONDON: Mercedes have made mistakes in developing their Formula One car and teenage Italian rookie Kimi Antonelli's struggles are a consequence of that, according to technical director James Allison. Antonelli, 18, finished third in Canada in June for his first F1 podium but has since failed to score. He has had two retirements since Montreal as well as 17th in a sprint race in Belgium last Saturday and then 16th in Sunday's main grand prix. The Italian, who took a sprint pole in Miami and is the sport's youngest ever race leader, has retired four times in the last seven rounds and admitted in Belgium he was lacking confidence in the car and not driving as he would like. "I think he's, like the rest of us, massively fed up with a string of results that are well below what we were collectively achieving earlier in the year," Allison said in a Belgian race debrief on Tuesday. "I hope he takes some solace from the fact that we tell him, and it's demonstrably a fact, that we have taken the wrong steps with the car, making our team less competitive, and that he is paying the price for that, as is George (Russell). "If the car isn't where it needs to be, then it will be a struggle getting through the qualifying stages in your rookie season in F1." Allison said it was "utterly clear" to everyone that the car needed to be better and Antonelli's fortunes would improve when it was. "Hopefully he's listening to us as we say those reassuring words because we absolutely know that he is putting in the effort on his side of that bargain," he added. Mercedes are third overall, 28 points behind second-placed Ferrari, with one win by Russell in Canada. Russell has been on the podium five times and is fourth overall with 157 points to Antonelli's 63. Seven-times world champion Lewis Hamilton, whose seat Antonelli took when the Briton moved to Ferrari, showed his support for the Italian after Saturday qualifying at Spa. "He was telling me to keep my head up, and that it's normal to have bad weekends, and to just keep believing," the Italian told reporters. Hamilton told Sky Sports television he could not imagine what the rookie was going through. "He's been doing fantastic. But to be thrown in at the deep end at 18... he hadn't even had his driving licence when he first started racing," he said. — REUTERS
