Kimi Antonelli gains confidence before Bahrain: "I took a step forward at Suzuka"

Is the breath of fresh air at the start of the season turning into a tornado ready to sweep everything away in its path? Kimi Antonelli has scored three points in as many Grands Prix so far this season. The young Italian put in a masterful performance, taking fourth place on his debut in Australia, before finishing sixth in China and then sixth again in Japan. "I think it's gone pretty well so far. What I'm most happy about is the consistency I've had over the three races.", greets the number 12, fifth in the championship with 30 points.

Antonelli began learning tire management in Formula 1, which he had already measured himself against in Formula 2, the first category where he was confronted with pit stops and therefore tire management. A real pitfall for a beginner, but the driver Mercedes managed to dominate, especially in Japan. In Bahrain, he will find the hardest tires in the Pirelli range, which he managed well at Suzuka. “I try to keep improving weekend after weekend. Every weekend is a huge learning opportunity for me. I’m learning a lot about tires, in particular, assures Antonelli. It was really useful for me, and it will be again this weekend, to have the same tires as at Suzuka, because I understand how they work better and better. During the first races, I particularly struggled to warm up the tires for qualifying. At Suzuka, I really took a step forward in this respect.

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Antonelli learned how to manage tires at Suzuka

“I also think the tire has been improved a lot compared to last year. It feels more robust. We could push, and it was nice to have a stint like that at Suzuka, where I didn't have to think too much about degradation and I could just push, continues the Italian. It was really fun. But this weekend will be completely different. I think it's the most demanding circuit of the season on the tires, and also one of the oldest. It's going to be much hotter than in practice, so tire management will be a key point, especially in the race. We'll also have to adapt our mindset to be able to manage the tires as well as possible.

Tire management will be crucial in Bahrain, where it's likely to get very hot throughout the weekend, although temperatures could drop again on Sunday for the Grand Prix. To prepare for his first Formula 1 race in Bahrain, the Bologna native can also rely on the experience of his garage neighbor George. Russell, from which he draws inspiration to continue his progress. "He now has quite a bit of experience with this car and in Formula 1 in general. What makes the difference is the confidence he has: he knows exactly where to place the car and where it will end up in a corner, even when pushing hard., praises the teammate of the Briton, who has already been on the podium twice this season.

"He has a lot of know-how and confidence.", concludes Kimi Antonelli, who sets himself clear objectives for his fourth Grand Prix in Formula 1: “Keep the positive momentum going. Improve the pace in qualifying. I think the speed is there, it's more about putting everything together: getting the tires up to temperature, then the lap itself. So keep that momentum going, keep working hard, and we'll see the result on Sunday.”

After becoming the youngest driver to lead a Grand Prix and set a fastest lap in a race, can Antonelli also become the second youngest driver to stand on a Formula 1 podium behind Max Verstappen ? Answer Sunday from 17 p.m.

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