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Damon Hill noticed Kimi Antonelli doing something that has yet to cost him during the British Grand Prix, providing a foreboding omen for the Italian driver’s eventual race collapse.
Kimi Antonelli looked set for at least a podium finish at the British Grand Prix as he was hunting down Charles Leclerc in first place.
However, late in the race, Antonelli began to slow down, citing issues with his car. Mercedes forced him to pit twice to figure out the issue, even suggesting the Italian retire the car.
Charles Leclerc wins the British Grand Prix! Was he lucky, or was it fully deserved?
Antonelli remained adamant that he would stay out and finish the race, but struggled to get the car under control, even earning himself a five-second penalty in the process.
Due to the race ending under a safety car, Antonelli’s penalty led to him finishing a season-worst P16. But Damon Hill had pointed out a huge issue with the Mercedes youngster early into the race.
READ MORE: What David Croft saw British GP fans doing from commentary box after safety car stayed out
Damon Hill believes Kimi Antonelli’s ‘over-exuberance’ is his biggest weakness this season
Speaking on BBC Radio 5’s live coverage of the British Grand Prix, Damon Hill saw Kimi Antonelli pushing really early on after a poor start led to him falling back into P3.
As he was chasing down Lewis Hamilton, Hill suggested that Antonelli’s untamed eagerness is a weak spot for him that could cost him the race, if not future races.
“Kimi Antonelli has been astonishing this season, but if there is a weak spot, it is over-exuberance. He’s been following very closely to Lewis Hamilton.
“Clearly, he wants to go and chase down Charles Leclerc. But every time he is within a second of the current front, he is using his front tyres more and more, and the guy behind him, George Russell, is still hanging on.”
Hill isn’t the only person to make this point. Earlier in the weekend, Martin Brundle suggested Antonelli’s wild nature is a weakness, referring to his unrelenting desire to win at all costs pushing him into some poor decisions.
Unfortunately for Antonelli, an issue with his wheel handle ultimately ended up costing him not only the race win, but a chance at any points.
READ MORE: Martin Brundle and David Coulthard agree on Lewis Hamilton penalty at British Grand Prix
What are your thoughts on the British Grand Prix ending behind the safety car?
Kimi Antonelli dealt huge blow in his championship push with British Grand Prix failure
It’s unclear as things stand whether Antonelli pushing as hard as he did caused the issue with his front wheel handle that ultimately cost him the race.
Mercedes are no strangers to reliability issues this season, with both Antonelli and Russell registering DNF results at different points this season.
But this issue seemingly came down to an issue with the chassis rather than anything with the power unit. For now, Antonelli’s supposed ‘wild side’ may not have impacted his race result.
Heading into the next race weekend at Spa, everyone at Mercedes must help keep Antonelli’s confidence intact, as a result like this can be very demoralising for a young driver.
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