Antonelli crashes Mercedes five laps into first practice run · F1 · RaceFans

Mercedes junior driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli suffered a blow in his first appearance for the team in practice as he crashed heavily after just five laps.

Antonelli, who turned 18 five days ago, climbed unaided from the W15 after he spun into the barrier at Alboreto, the corner formerly known as Parabolica.

He had already participated in the Formula 2 practice session at the track earlier that day. His first F1 run in George Russell’s car began well as he set the quickest time with his first run on soft tyres. He was on course to improve that time when the crash occured at the final corner.

The W15 broke into a spin after Antonelli turned into the right-hander, which is normally taken at up to 200kph. He hit the tyre barrier on the outside of the corner with the right-hand side of his car, causing significant damage and leading to the session begin red-flagged immediately. Antonelli was taken to the circuit’s medical centre for precautionary checks.

Formula One Management did not broadcast the radio chatter after the crash on his onboard feed. A censored clip was played on the world feed shortly afterwards, in which Antonelli said he was “sorry” for the crash and Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff reassured him not to worry.

Mercedes later confirmed part of Antonelli’s run had been aimed at comparing the performance of their latest specification floor, introduced at Spa, on his car, and the older version on the other W15 driven by Lewis Hamilton. The team’s technical director James Allison admitted before the race weekend began they are still unsure about the new car’s performance after their drivers complained about their handling at the last race in Zandvoort, where they finished a lowly seventh and eighth. Mercedes intend to continue evaluating the different floors in second practice when Russell returns to his car.

Antonelli’s first practice run was the subject of huge interest as Mercedes are widely expected to confirm him as their choice of replacement for the Ferrari-bound Hamilton next year. In addition to the usual FOM camera operators, additional crews from Netflix’s Drive to Survive series and a documentary team filming for Sky were present in the Mercedes garage.

This article will be updated

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