Premiere in a Mercedes

Bitter! Antonelli crashes car on first exit

Andrea Kimi Antonelli crashed in the first Monza practice session.(Bild: AFP/APA/Gabriel BOUYS)

Andrea Kimi Antonelli experienced the worst-case scenario in his first outing in the W15. After a strong start to the first Monza practice session on Friday, the young Italian crashed into the barrier after ten minutes.

In turn 11, a previously convincing Antonelli overdid it and steered too hard, causing him to lose control of the Mercedes car. After the car began to spin, it came to a halt in the tire barrier.

After apologizing to the pits, team boss Toto Wolff tried to calm the youngster down. "It's all right, Kimi. Everything's fine," said the Viennese to the 18-year-old, for whom the Formula 1 adventure began with a severe setback.