'The momentum is there' for Antonelli despite second DNF in three races

Kimi Antonelli says he was prepared for his luck to change after a run of five victories was followed by a second failure to score in three races at the British Grand Prix.

The Italian took his first Formula 1 victory in China earlier this season and duly went on a consecutive streak up to and including the Monaco Grand Prix that led to him opening up a significant championship lead. However, after retiring from second place in Barcelona, he suffered a component failure on Sunday when chasing Charles Leclerc for the lead late on at Silverstone, eventually dropping out of the points.

“To be fair, we had an incredible run with five races, five wins in a row, and everything probably was looking like it was going too much on my way,” Antonelli said. “And then we had two DNFs in three races.

“Obviously it's tough to swallow because, Barcelona I was running P2. Here, I was going for the win. I think we had a real shot and I was within striking distance. So just it's a shame that I didn't even have the chance to try. But it's what it is. It went this way. And the most important is that we bounce back stronger.

“We lost a lot of points but the momentum is there, because this weekend we showed the speed, and we showed as well what the potential can be when I’m in a good place, and when we’re in a good place with the team, with the car. We showed what we are capable of. So I think that the momentum is still there, and actually it makes the fire grow even more, to go out there in Spa and try to do even better.”

Antonelli was hit by a five-second time penalty for leaving the track on multiple occasions while he struggled with car damage, and he believes the root cause may have been bigger than it first appeared.

“The car wouldn’t turn anymore – in some of the corners the wheel was in the air, so there was something fundamental that was broken,” he said. “We only know now that the wheel shield broke, but we don’t know if something else broke because by the loss it felt like it was more than just a wheel shield. But the team will have the time to analyze it.

“It was a shame because we had a shot for the win. I think we were going for it.

“I just showed that I have the mindset that I try every time I go on track, I do my best, I try to give everything. Despite things that were already going against us, I saw there was the possibility to get one point and I was just trying my best to try and achieve that. I was going to achieve that, but then the Safety Car came and I didn’t have the possibility to really try for that.

“These are the rules, so I cannot do anything about it. Of course I was trying my best to stay on track but it was really undriveable. To get a penalty for that, it hurts, but these are the rules and there’s nothing I can do about it.”