Kimi Antonelli identifies the main obstacle to regularity at Mercedes
Kimi Antonelli cited his difficulties with the new C6 tire as one of the main factors affecting his performance at the recent three Grand Prix, admitting that the compound had « made him lose a little confidence ».
After a strong start to the season for Mercedes – with points scored in five of the first six races – the Italian driver experienced a more challenging series starting from Imola, where Pirelli introduced for the first time the all-new C6 as the soft tire.
A complicated triple-header for the Italian
This first home Grand Prix in Formula 1 proved difficult for the young Italian driver, forced to retire due to a mechanical problem. In Monaco, he finished 18th after hitting the barriers in qualifying, before another retirement due to a mechanical problem in Spain.
Reflecting on this sequence of three races before the Canadian Grand Prix, Kimi Antonelli explained: “It was quite a challenging triple round for me, especially in terms of performance. I wasn’t very good, and we also had some technical issues. But overall, I learned a lot, especially about managing busy weekends. Imola, in front of the Italian crowd, was very intense, and I didn’t handle it as I should have. So yes, it was complicated, not at all what I had hoped for. Fortunately, we had a week off after that, and now I feel ready to get back to it.”
A problem with the new soft C6 tire
When asked about what particularly held him back during these races, in contrast with his good start to the season, he replied: « I think, mainly, it’s the new C6. At Imola and Monaco, I struggled a lot to find consistency with this tire, to extract constant performance.»
« The C6 is extremely finicky, and it’s difficult to get it in the right window from the out lap. That’s what caused me problems. In Imola, my performances varied enormously from one session to another. In FP3, we were on the pace, then in qualifying, I lost five or six tenths.
I couldn’t understand the behavior of the tire or how to exploit it. And that made me lose a bit of confidence. In Barcelona, I was able to regain some rhythm, but it took me time to get back into it, he explains.
The C6 not having been used in Spain, it is back in Canada. Despite his past difficulties with this compound, the Mercedes driver is optimistic: « During the break, I spent a few days at the factory doing simulator work and analyzing data related to the C6 – understanding why it worked at some moments and why not at others. »
« I understood quite a few things. Montreal is a very different track: closed surface, a lot of slow corners, and it could be cold. I really tried to work on that to better anticipate, and know what to do this weekend. »
