Seven-time Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton heaped praise on Kimi Antonelli of Mercedes yesterday after the 19-year-old became the youngest driver to take pole position for a full grand prix in China.
“A great record. It’s going to take a while for someone to ever get close to that one,” the Ferrari driver told a news conference after qualifying in third position for today’s Chinese Grand Prix.
The record had been held for almost 18 years by now-retired German driver Sebastian Vettel, who put his Toro Rosso on pole as a 21-year-old at the 2008 Italian Grand Prix.
Big question marks hung over Antonelli when he was announced as Hamilton’s replacement at Mercedes for the 2025 season, after the British driver shocked the sport by moving to rivals Ferrari.
Pundits questioned whether Antonelli, then 18, could live up to Hamilton’s legacy, even as Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff consistently touted the Italian as a top-tier talent. “He took my seat! And he hit it hard from the get-go, so it’s really great to see him progressing; and he really deserves it,” a beaming Hamilton said as he sat next to Antonelli.
From lap 1 of these new regulations, I’ve not enjoyed this car for sure. It’s not going to be a fun race
— Red Bull’s Max Verstappen
Red Bull’s Max Verstappen said his RB22 Formula One car is “completely undrivable” after qualifying eighth for today’s Chinese Grand Prix and a torrid sprint race earlier in the day.
“We changed a lot on the car, and it makes zero difference,” the four-time world champion told reporters after setting a fastest lap that was just over one second slower than pole sitter, Antonelli, with the two Mercedes cars securing a front row lockout.
Car completely undriveable
“The whole weekend we’ve been off, the car is completely undriveable. Every lap is like survival,” the Dutchman said.
The Red Bull driver sunk to as low as 14th place after having qualified eighth in yesterday’s earlier 19-lap sprint race around the Shanghai International Circuit, finally finishing in 9th and behind sister team Racing Bulls’ Liam Lawson.
“It’s incredibly tough to drive. There’s no balance; I cannot lean on the car. Every lap is a fight,” the 71-time race winner told Sky Sports F1, having come into the weekend hoping to make more of an impact after making his way from the back of the grid to finish sixth at the previous race in Australia.
This is the first season Red Bull have run their own engine, having partnered with Ford, which ended a very successful six-year streak with Honda.
Verstappen said the new power unit was partly to blame but added that the poor performance was down to a multitude of factors.
“From lap 1 of these new regulations, I’ve not enjoyed this car for sure. It’s not going to be a fun race,” he said.
Reuters
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