Mercedes rookie Andrea Kimi Antonelli insists his confidence hasn’t been dented by his off in second Monza practice, which came as the Italian youngster aims to rebound from a tough period.
Inside 10 minutes of Friday afternoon’s second one-hour practice, Antonelli caught a slide in the second Lesmo but was unable to avoid drifting into the gravel, causing him to get stuck.
The off therefore cost him valuable track time, but Antonelli insists it won’t dent his confidence on his return to the track one year after an FP1 debut that ended in the wall at Parabolica.
“I just pushed a bit too hard for the grip at that moment and it was a shame,” the 19-year-old said. “The day was looking good. I had a good FP1 and then the start of FP2 was looking strong, so confidence is still high.
“Obviously, tomorrow we’ll have to do a bit of a different programme but we’ll try to be ready for anything.”
Antonelli sat out the majority of FP2 at Monza
Photo by: Jayce Illman / Getty Images
Russell, who finished 10th in FP2, said he also caught a few nasty moments aboard the W16 as he conceded three tenths to pacesetter Lando Norris in the McLaren.
“It didn’t feel amazing out there. I was struggling for a bit of confidence and I had a few moments similar to like Kimi,” he said. “It was just difficult to keep the car in a good spot.
“It was a tricky day at Monza, you’re back on that low downforce car, sort of floating around and the rear’s pretty loose. It didn’t feel spectacular out there for us today.
“Usually three tenths off would be just behind McLarens, so it’s tight and I expect that to be the same tomorrow.”
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