Kimi Antonelli secured another crucial podium finish at the Marina Bay Circuit despite battling severe brake issues that nearly sent him into the barriers. The Mercedes driver admitted that his Singapore Grand Prix was far more fraught than his third-place finish behind Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc suggested, as he had to cope with an unexpected sensor failure and extreme cockpit temperatures.
The drama began even before the race started when the team discovered a brake sensor fault while his car was stationary on the grid. Although a quick fix was executed right there, the squad had to run the entire grand prix without any telemetry data regarding the brakes, leaving the Italian rookie completely blind to operating temperatures.
The situation escalated during the race as the young driver spent three-quarters of the distance trapped in dirty air, causing the brakes to overheat to the point where he could physically smell them. Detailing his survival tactics in the post-race press conference, he explained, "Well, just trying to lift and coast before every braking and to arrive a bit slower and put less pressure on the pedal."
He further elaborated on the scariest moment of his afternoon during a restart. "Because especially on the restart of the VSC, when I went to brake, nothing happened. I had really poor stopping, brake power and I almost went into the wall. So, it was just very tricky out there, and also the pedal was very long," he stated, highlighting the dangerously long pedal travel caused by the heat and lack of data.
Addressing the team's latest upgrade package, the championship leader noted that the hardware still suffers from an excessively narrow operating window in slow-speed corners. While the Brackley outfit sees clear potential in the new parts, mastering the setup configuration will remain the primary objective heading into the upcoming race weekend in Austin, where George Russell and Antonelli look to unlock further performance.
Read Also
Simak analisis lengkap kegagalan strategi Lewis Hamilton di GP Singapura 2026 dan tekad bangkitnya. Baca berita selengkapnya di sini!
Hitech umumkan formasi pembalap FIA F3 2027 dengan Keanu Al Azhari, Kanato Le, dan Michael Shin. Simak analisis lengkap dan profil tim di sini.
Simak analisis lengkap bagaimana ban bocor justru membantu Oscar Piastri menyalip Lewis Hamilton di GP Singapura. Baca ulasan mendalam di sini!
Continue with Google
Discussion (0)
Join the Discussion!
Sign in easily to start commenting, replying, and interacting with other readers.
Latest Comments
No comments yet. Be the first!