VIDEO: Mercedes debutant Antonelli crashes in Italian GP first practice

Andrea Kimi Antonelli, 18, experienced a dramatic start to his Formula 1 career when he crashed during his debut practice session at the Italian Grand Prix. Despite the high-speed accident, Antonelli emerged unscathed.

Anticipated to be confirmed as a Mercedes driver for the 2025 season, Antonelli lost control of his car during his second flying lap at Monza’s Parabolica corner. The crash occurred as he was striving to top the session’s times, having just set the fastest middle sector. His attempt to surpass Lewis Hamilton’s earlier lap time by 0.6 seconds ended abruptly.

Mercedes expressed support for their young driver via social media, stating, “All part of the learning curve for Kimi.” Team principal Toto Wolff emphasized Antonelli’s potential and the necessary environment for growth, acknowledging that young drivers often learn through such experiences.

In first practice, Red Bull’s Max Verstappen set the fastest time, 0.228 seconds ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, who was on medium tires. McLaren’s Lando Norris secured third, followed by Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz and Sauber’s Valtteri Bottas.

Antonelli was driving George Russell’s car, which featured a new floor design that Mercedes had recently introduced. Russell will drive with the new floor in the second practice session, while Hamilton will use the previous specification. Mercedes continues to test the new floor, having introduced it at the Belgian Grand Prix before reusing it at the Dutch Grand Prix.

Ferrari drivers Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz also had close calls, with Leclerc nearly losing control at the first Lesmo and Sainz experiencing oversteer at Parabolica. Both managed to avoid accidents.

Red Bull and Mercedes are evaluating their floor designs to address recent performance issues. Meanwhile, McLaren’s Oscar Piastri was sixth fastest, with Hamilton, Williams’ Alex Albon, Red Bull’s Sergio Perez, and Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso rounding out the top ten. Franco Colapinto, making his debut for Williams, finished 17th.