Kimi Antonelli shines with podium finish at Canadian Grand Prix
Italian teenager Kimi Antonelli elicited the most significant and heartfelt response on Sunday as he marked his emergence as a Formula 1 star by securing third place with a composed performance for Mercedes at the Canadian Grand Prix.
The 18-year-old newcomer, who successfully completed his road driving test earlier this year prior to the commencement of the season, has now become the third-youngest driver to finish on the podium in Formula 1 history.
Four-time world champion Max Verstappen, who finished second for Red Bull in Sunday's race behind Mercedes team leader George Russell, was 18 years, seven months, and 15 days old when he achieved his first podium in 2016.
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Lance Stroll was also marginally younger than Antonelli when he finished third in Azerbaijan in 2017.
"It was so stressful for me," he said. "But I am super happy!"
Beaming from ear to ear, Antonelli waved to the big crowd at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve amid chants of "Kimi, Kimi" as they applauded his appearance on the podium after the race.
"I had a good start. I managed to jump into P3 and I just stayed up there at the front. The last stint, I pushed a bit too hard behind Max and I killed a bit of the front left tyre and then I struggled a bit at the end.
"So, I'm really happy to bring the podium home for the team."
He commenced the race in an exhilarating manner by overtaking championship leader Oscar Piastri's McLaren to secure third place during the initial lap.
"I had a good first launch and managed to get alongside and then, in the first corner, I just tried to carry as much speed as possible. When I was alongside him in Turn Two, I knew I would have the advantage going into Turn Three."
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He expressed his hope that his team's initial victory this year, as well as their first since the Las Vegas race last year, would serve as a catalyst for further successes.
However, Russell was quick to temper expectations, noting that the Canadian track was particularly well-suited to the strengths of their Mercedes vehicle.
"It's a little bit cooler around here," said Russell. "We saw it last year in Canada. I would love to get our hopes up, but I think the strength of our car is in the cooler conditions so let's see in the coming races.
"But, yeah, we will enjoy this for now."
"Time will tell. We won Austria last year so maybe that's a good omen. We did have high expectations coming into this weekend and it worked out as we thought."
His triumph signified that he became the fourth distinct driver to secure a win this year, following 10 races in which Mercedes and Red Bull have been striving to catch up to the performance edge held by champions McLaren.
SportsLigue