Canada GP: Kimi Antonelli achieved its first podium in F1

In his tenth career in the category, the Italian was third in Montreal and helped Mercedes to climb to second place in the World Cup.

When the flirting with Max Verstappen did not finally reached the port that Toto Wolff wanted, The Mercedes team announced to Kimi Antonelli as a pilot by 2025. The young Italian was the gem that the plasta arrows was molding since 2019, when with just 12 years he entered the team development program. The Boloñés stood out in how much category competed, until the landing in Formula 1. The bet seemed risky, because with just a year of F2 it jumped directly to the highest category, with hundreds of kilometers of preparation in ancient models of Mercedes, but had to perform on the track. Because, in addition, he occupied no less than the place left by Lewis Hamilton. And in his tenth race, Kimi has already been pleased to climb the podium for the first time at the end of the GP of Canada.

Kimi became, at 18 years, 9 months and 21 days in the third youngest pilot to achieve a podium. They only exceed Max Verssappen (18 years, 7 months and 15 days) and Lance Stroll (18, 7 and 27). In addition, he cut with a 16 -year -old drought without Italians at the F1 awards ceremony since Jarno Trulli finished second in the 2009 Japan GP. The Boloñés is the 217th corridor to achieve a podium in the World Cup.

Antonelli started from fourth place and won the place on the podium with a sensational maneuver to overcome no less than Oscar Piastri, the F1 leader and who has won several duels no less than Max Verstappen. Then, the Mercedes team administered the strategy well and the young man became the enormous pleasure of finishing between the three.

“It was very stressful, but I am very happy, I made a good way out, I managed to jump to third position and stayed there in the front. In the last Stint, I pressed too much behind Max Verstappen and lost some power in the left front. I had some difficulties at the end, but I am very happy to have risen to the podium, ”said Antonelli, a talented pilot and with a charism that puts him as one of the F1 stars within a very close future.