Rookie Reflection: Kimi Antonelli Admits Overzealousness Led to High-Speed Crash in F1 Practice Debut at Monza

Kimi Antonelli assumes responsibility for his significant crash during his first F1 practice session, as Lewis Larkam covers the incident from Monza.

Andrea Kimi Antonelli acknowledged that he was "overexerting slightly" prior to his crash that terminated his first F1 practice session at the Italian Grand Prix.

The much-acclaimed 18-year-old, anticipated to be announced as Lewis Hamilton's successor at Mercedes for the 2025 season, set to join Ferrari, encountered a dramatic crash less than 10 minutes into the FP1 session.

Antonelli experienced a loss of control over his Mercedes during his second attempt to increase speed, resulting in a high-speed spin that ended with a crash into the barriers at Parabolica. Fortunately, the Italian driver was not injured in the mishap, which caused the race to be temporarily halted with red flags.

Antonelli was scheduled for a press conference following Friday's activities, but his engagements were called off as Mercedes announced he had gone back to his hotel because he was feeling sick.

"Wow, quite the day. Just finished FP1," Antonelli remarked in a video shared by Mercedes. "Sadly, it was cut short due to the accident. It was pretty severe, hitting around 52Gs.

I sincerely apologize to the team and George for causing them extra work. It was my error, as I pushed too hard given the conditions. I should have approached the build-up more gradually. This has definitely been a learning experience for the future.

"Absolutely, I remain profoundly grateful to the team for their role in making this happen, and it's always a joy to witness the tifosi in full force, as well as to experience those initial laps alongside all the competing drivers."

"Currently, I'm not in the best of health. I've decided to take a step back and concentrate on recuperating, aiming to regain my focus for the upcoming weekend. There are still several races ahead, and we're determined to achieve a positive outcome."

Earlier today, Mercedes chief Toto Wolff predicted that the young driver would quickly recover from his crash.

"Wolff, in discussion with journalists including those from Crash.net, expressed disappointment, noting that an hour of action was lost which could have showcased impressive performances. He acknowledged the situation by pointing out that the individual in question is a novice and still quite young."

"We're putting resources into his future, and these instances, they're inevitable. They'll keep occurring into next year."

"We prefer facing challenges in reducing his speed rather than in trying to increase it. The performance we observed in just one and a half laps was remarkable."

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