Kimi Antonelli loses ground at Fanta F1. Two retirements and a last place in the three races between May and June. Always outside the top ten, the Mercedes driver sees his average of fantasy points drop, as well as its value has slightly decreased compared to the beginning of the season. This is a difficult moment for the young Italian driver, who is called upon to redeem himself in the next races.
Imola, Monaco, Spain: a delicate moment for Kimi
It must not be easy for an experienced driver to maintain the same level of concentration and the same quality of performance for the duration of an entire season. It must be even more complicated for Andrea Kimi Antonelli, who both in the F1 Fanta and in the championship initially left everyone speechless. The talented eighteen-year-old has shown an increasing confidence in Formula 1, starting from the great comeback achieved in Australia up to the pole position conquered of sprint qualifying in Miami. Furthermore, Kimi has already important records to his credit: during the Japanese GP he became the youngest driver to take the lead and, as if that wasn't enough, to set the fastest lap.
It couldn't all be rosy in Antonelli's first season. Let's start from Imola, a track twenty minutes by train from his home city of Bologna. The number 12 of Mercedes first of all fails to get into Q3. Finally, he ends the race early after a problem with the accelerator pedal, parking his car at the exit of Tosa. The driver himself had been critical of the way he had prepared during the home weekend. The same observation was made by Toto wolff, who told the media how everyone wanted “a piece of Kimi”. In addition to the poor result on the track, Antonelli at Fanta F1 scored a -9, which was heavily affected by the penalty caused by the withdrawal, which subtracted ten points from his score.
Monaco did not fare any better. During free practice, the Mercedes driver never seemed at ease between the walls of the principality. A track, that of Monte Carlo, where it is important to have the right confidence with your car to achieve a good placement in qualifying. On Saturday, however, he arrived the first accident of the Italian pilot. At the end of Q1, in fact, the latter lost control of his Mercedes and crashed at the chicane of the port. The race, then, was a disaster from a strategic point of view: Kimi only 18th at the finish line. In Spain, finally, another technical problem during the race and another retirement for Antonelli. At Fanta F1 he arrived like this a heavy -7 for all his fantasy managers.
How to behave with Antonelli at Fanta F1?
Why has Antonelli been a disappointment at Fanta F1 in these three races? Of course, looking at his scores and the series of malus that hit him, the answer could be quite clear. However, it is not only the three zeros that the Italian has stumbled upon in this hat-trick. The disappointment is quite bitter because, excluding Monaco which is an atypical circuit, Imola and Barcelona are tracks where the minor categories are very often raced. Furthermore, both on Montmelò and on the banks of the Santerno, it is usual to carry out many tests. In short, Antonelli already had a certain confidence with the two tracks, for this reason the great disappointment is given by the fact of to have failed to meet some sort of expected goals. In short, many points lost for his fantasy players, who instead expected from him, at least in these two stages, much better performances.
The complicated period that the Bolognese is experiencing in his first season in Mercedes is also having repercussions on Fanta F1, as we have seen. So, should we change our attitude towards him? Absolutely not, the perception of fantasy managers towards the young Italian driver must not change in any way. Consequently, what was said about him immediately after the Japanese GP. The 12 Mercedes is facing a learning season, with the sole aim of becoming more and more familiar with his car, the preparation and management of the tyres in the race and, more generally, with the category itself.
And in Canada?
Antonelli at Fanta F1 remains third-tier, ready to appear in second place (where we could group Leclerc, Russell and Hamilton). The talent is there, he drives a competitive car compared to the other rookies and, now, he must try to regain that crescendo in performance to which he was getting used. The price, then, has slightly lowered compared to the Miami GP. Currently, Kimi's value is 20 yaws. A less excessive cost which, as mentioned, can allow fantasy managers to pair him with a top-class pilot (Piastri, Norris, Verstappen). All this while saving some credits for the other three available slots, thus not settling for the drivers who cost less, such as Stroll, Colapinto and Bortoleto, but who bring very few points and many penalties.
In fact, be careful: in Montreal the track is very fast, but the slightest mistake can be fatal given the proximity of the walls to the asphalt. It might be better to manage the credits more fairly across the five available slots. As for the Italian driver, the reduced price could be an opportunity, but the final advice is to wait for the results of the free practice sessions. Mercedes, in fact, has struggled more than Ferrari and Red Bull in the last Grand Prix, with the Maranello team taking second place in the constructors' standings. The team's performance, therefore, could be detrimental Antonelli's performance at Fanta F1.
