Antonelli ended FP2 in eighth place, naming the favorite team this weekend at Sepang
It was a challenging Friday for Antonelli in Sepang, where the Bahrain GP in Malaysia is taking place. The Italian faced battery issues during FP1, while in FP2 he only managed to secure eighth position. He was about half a second behind leader Leclerc. This was somewhat expected given the major upgrades introduced on the W17, which require thorough understanding.
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Attempting to adapt also to a circuit where F1 has not raced since 2017, and for which there is limited data, makes things significantly harder. The potential of their package appears promising but needs unlocking, just as Antonelli must find his confidence on this new (to him) Malaysian track. After FP2, the championship leader shared his view on the favorite team for this weekend.
The favorite team at Sepang is not Ferrari
Despite finishing FP2 well behind Leclerc’s top time, Antonelli expressed his opinion about the frontrunners this weekend. “Red Bull seems to be the quickest, both in qualifying and race pace. But watch out also for McLaren and Ferrari; they’re competitive too, especially with higher fuel loads. Today, overall track grip was quite poor, but conditions will likely improve between Saturday and Sunday as more rubber is laid down.“
Antonelli then shared his impressions after the first day: “It was a good debut day on track here,” said the championship leader. “This circuit is fantastic to drive. It’s a fast and flowing track, really beautiful. We managed to complete our entire program in both sessions, gathering lots of data. This will help us understand the new upgrade we brought here and aid improvements throughout the weekend. However, there’s still much work to be done. We will work hard tonight to find the right balance to maximize our qualifying performance tomorrow.“
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Cover image credits: Francesca Anna Tantone for F1inGenerale.com