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Martin Brundle has explained the real ‘lesson’ Kimi Antonelli has learned after a ‘heartbreaking’ British Grand Prix.
On Saturday, Antonelli won the Sprint at Silverstone before securing pole position for the main Grand Prix.
The young Italian looked to be the man to beat, but at the start of the race, was overtaken by the fast-starting Ferrari duo of Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton.
Antonelli, with a clear tyre and pace advantage, was closing in on Leclerc in the latter stages of the race.
At this point, disaster struck for Antonelli as he began to slow due to a problem with his car; he pitted, and Mercedes sent him back out with a new front wing.
However, the problem persisted, and the team then discovered the cause for concern was the bodywork surrounding the front-left wheel. Eventually, Antonelli finished 14th after being handed a five-second penalty for breaching track limits.
What are your thoughts on the British Grand Prix ending behind the safety car?
Martin Brundle says Kimi Antonelli did not give Mercedes ‘clear enough information’
Reacting to the incident, ex-Formula 1 driver Brundle stated that the British Grand Prix was a ‘lesson learned’ for Antonelli.
The 67-year-old alluded to the fact that the teenager failed to give ‘clear enough information’ to Mercedes, which led to the team failing to solve the problem during his pit stop.
Brundle explained in his latest column for Sky Sports: “Antonelli was catching Leclerc hand over fist, and it seemed inevitable he would win the race, until he radioed in and then slowed on lap 41 with steering issues.
“Part of his aero bodywork around the left-front wheel had failed on the serrated kerb on the outside of the high-speed Copse corner.
“It was heartbreaking for him, but another lesson learned as he did not give clear enough information on his way into the pits about his problems.
“The team changed the easy and fast parts with a new nose and front wing, and fresh tyres, and sent him out, but the offending bodywork was still blocking his steering, and he had to pit again two laps later.”
How has the British Grand Prix changed your outlook on the F1 title race?
READ MORE: Damon Hill says Mercedes were worried Kimi Antonelli would ‘hurt himself’ at British Grand Prix
After Antonelli scored zero points and George Russell took home 18 points by finishing second behind race winner Leclerc, the gap between the two Silver Arrows has been closed to just 25 points.
Speaking after the race, a disappointed Antonelli admitted that the result was ‘tough to swallow’.
The 19-year-old also stated that things were going from ‘bad to worse’ during the closing stages of the Grand Prix.
As per F1, Antonelli said: “I couldn’t believe because it was going from bad to worse. When I went out after the last stop, the car was kind of driveable. Still, I was missing so much downforce but I think P10 was very achievable despite the penalty.
“I was pulling away and I think I would have had the gap that was required but then the Safety Car came and I knew it was over.
“We had two DNFs in three races and obviously it’s tough to swallow, because Barcelona I was running P2, here I was going for the win.”
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