Antonelli has many reasons to impress at Imola: 'It'll be a special one'

18:02, 06 May

byNorberto Mujica

For Andrea Kimi Antonelli, the Miami Grand Prix brought on mixed feelings, but for the upcoming race in Imola, the Italian youngster is keen on doing well, since it could be the track's last year holding an F1 race in the foreseeable future.

Does Antonelli himself rank the Miami GP as his strongest overall performance? It's not so clear cut, the Italian rookie says, replying to media like GPblog after the race in Florida.

'Qualifying pace, strong, race pace, something to analyse'

The downsides to his Miami Grand Prix, Antonelli's clear on. "I need to check the race pace, today was just not good, especially on the hard, really struggled to make the tyre work during the stint. I was just sliding a lot around and couldn't really find [the] lap time, so [I] definitely need to analyse what went wrong."

However, he did become the youngest ever pole sitter with a stunning lap during the Sprint Qualifying, and beat teammate George Russell in both qualifying sessions overall, Antonelli himself notes.

"I think in terms of qualifying pace, it was a strong weekend and definitely looking forward to the next one. It's a track I know and hopefully we can carry the same momentum."

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'Could be the last year for Imola, want to make it a special one'

Next up on the calendar, is the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, at Imola, Antonelli's first home race, so no hotels for the Italian youngster in the next race weekend.

"It's definitely going to be a special one so I'm going to try to make the best out of it as well. It's going to feel weird that I'm going to be sleeping at home," he adds.

"Apparently it's also the last year for Imola so I really want to make the best out of it."

With the Mexican Grand Prix's recent deal to extend its stay in the calendar until 2028 at least, the F1 race at Imola is looking at a potential exit from the F1 calendar despite being one of the most exciting ones. However a rotating approach may be an alternative to keep the race on, albeit if on a one-year-on one-year-off basis.