Antonelli ‘got really scared’ when he made ‘big save’ on lap in Melbourne · RaceFans

Andrea Kimi Antonelli admitted he was alarmed when he came close to crashing on the first lap of the Australian Grand Prix.

The Mercedes driver caught a huge snap of oversteer at the exit of turn five as the race began in wet conditions. Fellow rookie driver Jack Doohan also lost control of his car at that point on the track on the first lap but crashed out.

“I got really scared,” Antonelli told the official F1 channel. “I cannot really say what I thought in the moment because it would have been… but definitely, it was a big save. Not bad to start lap one.”

After his drama at the start, Antonelli had a strong race, climbing 12 places to finish fourth despite the treacherous conditions.

“The whole race was really enjoyable,” he said. “In stint one I was really trying to understand the conditions because the grip was really tricky, very low at the start of the race. Especially with those white [painted] lines, it was very, very tricky.

“The first thing I was really trying to understand was the grip; the track was evolving. It was the first time trying the intermediate so I was trying to understand how the tyre was working.

“But then when I jumped for the last stint on inters, I definitely felt much more confident with the car and the conditions. It was a very enjoyable race.”

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Antonelli said he enjoyed himself so much the race “felt quite short” to him. “During the Safety Car when we switched to slicks, I remember looking at the board and we were already on lap 40. I was like, ‘we’re at the end of the race’. It was really enjoyable out there.”

He started the race 16th after damaging his car in qualifying. Antonelli said his performance in his first grand prix gave him “a good boost of confidence” for the races ahead.

“I think in Melbourne I was a little bit too tense as well, especially when it was time for qualifying. Now definitely I feel a lot more relaxed and a lot more in control of the situation. Definitely there’s still lots to learn, but really looking forward to this weekend.”

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