F1 Australia Qualifying, Antonelli participates thanks to Max
For Kimi Antonelli the first Saturday of the World Cup started very badly. The driver from Bologna ended FP3 in Melbourne against the wall after the first chicane, and seriously risked not taking part in the Qualifying for the Australian GP.
Mercedes mechanics raced against time to repair the W17, but had now given up. It was Max’s accident that “saved” Antonelli Verstappen in turn-1 (which will force the Dutchman to start from the back of the grid tomorrow).
The display of the red flag and the consequent interruption of around ten minutes gave the Mercedes garage additional time, which therefore sent the 19-year-old onto the track.
Having escaped the danger, Antonelli performed a clean lap, qualifying for Q2 without problems. And now, thanks to Verstappen’s knockout, he can play for a pole position with teammate George Russell as the favourite.
