Antonelli was left "gutted" after his crash in qualifying at Monte Carlo
Following a tough end to his home race last time out at Imola, Mercedes driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli suffered a low-speed crash in qualifying at the Monaco Grand Prix, leaving him 15th on the grid for today's race.
Mercedes endured a very difficult session at Monte Carlo. George Russell lost power and ground to a halt through the tunnel in Q2. Although he was eager to restart his car, he was unable to get going again, and will only line up 14th on the grid tomorrow.
His rookie team mate Andera Kimi Antonelli suffered a big moment in Q2. The Bologna-born driver made a crucial error of clipping the inside wall at the Nouvelle Chicane on his final lap in Q1, which saw him crash into the exit barriers.
Expanding on his qualifying day, the Bologna-born driver revealed that the crash was his mistake as he wanted to gain the crucial last tenths to make the cut in Q1.
"I am gutted by how today's Qualifying session went. We are always close to the limit in Monaco and the line between getting it right and getting it wrong is thin. That is particularly true come Qualifying.
"I tried to find those missing tenths but ultimately had an unnecessary and costly mistake. I turned slightly earlier than usual in Turn 10 and clipped the barrier.
"I damaged the front, and I know there was nothing I could do from there and was a passenger into the barrier. I had enough pace to get through to the latter parts of Qualifying, so it was a costly error."
The Italian revealed that while he struggled for pace through the practice sessions at Monte Carlo, his car came alive in qualifying.
"It is such a shame because we were coming back into a good place with the car and I was finding a good rhythm. We had struggled the entire weekend up to that point, but I kept improving lap after lap in Q1. I felt good in the car today and I can only say sorry to the team. Starting P14 tomorrow in Monaco means that we need to think differently.
"We did not expect to be starting this far back with both cars so tomorrow we will be looking to take any opportunities we can and chase all the positions possible."
