George Russell ‘not very happy’ after Kimi Antonelli’s accident at Monza

Kimi Antonelli admitted George Russell was “not very happy” when his car was driven into the wall in free practice at Monza, but claimed the pair had “a good relationship” ahead of their partnership at Mercedes next year.

Teenager Antonelli crashed in his first FP1 outing at his home Grand Prix after just a few laps at Monza, crashing in the high-speed Parabolica corner and damaging the Mercedes W15 beneath him after taking over Russell’s chassis for the session .

Kimi Antonelli: George Russell ‘not very happy’ after crash in FP1 at Monza

Although team boss Toto Wolff was impressed with Antonelli’s absolute speed at the start of this session, Russell’s mechanics still had work to do after this incident to repair his car in time for FP2 to be able to execute his program.

While on track, Russell reported that “something was moving” in his cockpit, which was a manageable problem for him at the time, and that on a weekend where Mercedes seemed unable to keep up with the speed of Ferrari and McLaren , finishing seventh Notably, his future teammate admitted that Russell was “not very happy” that his car crashed when he no longer had it in his hands.

When discussing the future, Antonelli added that the two currently have a solid relationship, but as with any driving duo, he will go into next season with the desire to finish ahead of his more experienced teammate.

“That first round was a unique feeling with all the people in the stands,” Antonelli told the Festival dello Sport, as quoted by Sky Italy. “Now I have two more options in Mexico and Abu Dhabi.

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“[Russell] I wasn’t very happy, but before I went to Parabolica I was strong.

“I have a good relationship with George, he hasn’t given me much advice but everything is fine at the moment. But next year I want to beat him.”

The weekend in Monza was also the moment when his involvement with Mercedes was confirmed for next year and Antonelli will become one of the youngest Formula 1 drivers of all time next season.

As it will still be a few months before he officially becomes a driver in the top class, the young Italian admitted that it will take some time for the news to sink in.

“I haven’t realized yet that I’m going to drive in Formula 1, maybe I’ll do it in Melbourne,” he said.

“It will be very exciting, but at the moment I’m just thinking about working on myself.

“Certainly it will be important to stay calm and try not to think about anything other than what you have to do, concentrate on the beginning and try to imagine the different situations.

“The butterflies in my stomach will be there, but I’ll try to focus on what I’m supposed to do.”

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