Exhausted by the emotions experienced on a historic day, Andrea Kimi Antonelli tries to put together the thoughts that will become indelible memories. The blue driver does not hesitate to thank the fans, whose enthusiasm during the crucial phases of the comeback reached him all the way to the cockpit. In the meeting with the Italian press at the end of the race, including FormulaPassion, the Bolognese refuses to use the word ‘world championship’, although he says he hopes to experience a day even more beautiful than today, which he defines as the best day of his life.
A rollercoaster of emotions
“Today we were fast, but what made the difference was that after 15 laps I was right up front”, Kimi recounts, still soaked in champagne. It was precisely when he reached the leading positions that the Italian began to believe in the big coup. “I told myself that I couldn’t not try to win after getting that far. When the team told me to stop yo-yoing I said ‘ok, I’ll stay behind’, but it wouldn’t last long. Then the Virtual Safety Car came out and we decided to pit and from there the recovery began.”
Strong on new medium tires, Antonelli managed to recover 15 seconds on his teammate. At that point it seemed done, until Kimi ended up in the gravel at the First Variante: “It was very strange, because there was a problem with the asphalt, which was breaking up, a bit like what happened in Monaco, and then there were rubber residues. I went wider to avoid George, who was inside, and when I steered the car went completely straight. Probably, I had ended up on the dirty part. I went off and I said: ‘There, I lost my chance’. But then I managed to get back right away.”
Antonelli then had a new chance that he did not let slip away, taking the lead of the race to never let go. The Mercedes pit wall remained anxious until the last lap, when Kimi decided to set the best lap time of the race: “Bono told me: ‘Bring the car home’. Then I came out of Lesmo 2 and he told me again: ‘Kimi, remember to bring the car home’.” Fortunately, however, Antonelli completed the feat started 52 laps earlier.
The push from the fans
Kimi has no doubts when asked which will become the best memory, the first victory in Shanghai or the home success in Monza: “This is the most special of all, for how it was won and because it is the home Grand Prix. This is a victory that tastes good, as an emotion it is stronger than China.” The emotions were certainly intense on the podium, under which the fans chanted Kimi in chorus, despite the many Ferrari flags: “It was incredible. Honestly today the fans gave me an extra boost. When I was coming out of the First Variante I saw them in the stands out of the corner of my eye and when I was recovering they stood up every lap. That gave me the boost. The fans made the difference.”
The Brianza victory is also an important one in championship terms, considering that Kimi avoided the grid penalty for the new engine: “It was a great result, especially for the Power Unit. I thought I would probably lose points this weekend. Coming out like this, instead, gives a great boost, because I started 19th. It’s true, it’s a track where you can climb back up, but only to a certain point. When you get to the group up front, it becomes more difficult, because the pace between various cars is closer.”
Antonelli thus became the first Italian to win at Monza since Ludovico Scarfiotti, sixty years ago. But Kimi does not look to the past, only to the future: “For me the important thing is having won today, having achieved a great result and having my family here with me. Being able to share this moment with them was the best. Obviously, it had been a long time since an Italian won and I am happy to have been the one who did it, but we don’t stop here. It’s only the beginning.”
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