Kimi Antonelli faces Monaco GP concern despite extending F1 championship lead, says Jolyon Palmer

Former Formula 1 driver Jolyon Palmer has warned Kimi Antonelli that his poor race starts could become a major weakness at the Monaco Grand Prix.

While Antonelli extended his lead in the drivers’ standings to 20 points after winning the Miami Grand Prix, the Italian driver is still struggling with race starts. After starting from pole position at the Hard Rock Stadium, Antonelli lost the lead into Turn 1 when he was overtaken by Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc.

While discussing the dynamics in the Mercedes F1 team after the Miami Grand Prix on F1 TV, Palmer pointed to circuits with short runs to Turn 1 as a potential issue for Antonelli.

“It's a short run to Turn 1 in Canada. It's a shorter run to Turn 1 in Monaco,” he said. “But in Canada there's still some overtaking chances. If he can't sort it out by Monaco, he could be on pole, there's no chance he'll win if he can't start there. So, that's his big thing to work on.”

Antonelli has admitted that his race starts are his main area for improvement.

“Today, to be fair, was not as bad,” the 19-year-old told the media. “I think I lost two places, sprint I lost six, so a little bit better. But still, no, it’s not acceptable. I think especially in a weekend like this, that the gaps are a lot closer, it can really change the race.

Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes

Photo by: Sam Bagnall / Sutton Images via Getty Images

“So, I think it’s a point where also together with the team we need to, because yesterday, for example, in the sprint, procedure-wise it was good, but just the grip level that we thought there was, was just not there.”

He added: “I think also with the team, but for sure mainly from me, because I’m still a little bit inconsistent, especially on clutch drop. I still don’t have that confidence, being consistent with that. I still have a bit of uncertainty, so it’s a big point that needs to be improved.

“But I think today I managed it better than yesterday. Yesterday I was very frustrated and today I just kept it a bit cool, a bit better, and just managed to move on and focus about the race.”