Kimi Antonelli identifies key issue that left him struggling to find consistent performance over triple header

“In FP3 in Imola, I remember we were up there, and then in Qualifying I suddenly lost five or six tenths compared to FP3. So I’ve been really struggling to understand the tyre and to put it in the right window, and that took some confidence away.

“That’s why I feel in Barcelona it was nice to get back into the rhythm. But at the same time, especially at the start of the session, it took me too long to get into the rhythm. That was also because I had two really difficult Qualifying sessions in the previous two events. So definitely, I think that was the main issue.”

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After not being used in Spain, the C6 tyre has returned as part of Pirelli’s selection for Montreal. Despite his previous struggles with it, Antonelli is confident that the work he has put into this will pay off at the Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve.

“During the week we had off, I spent a couple of days at the factory doing some sim work and also trying to analyse the C6 – analyse when it went well, why I was able to extract the performance, and when it went badly, what I did differently,” the 18-year-old said.

“I’ve been understanding quite a few things. Obviously, Montreal is a completely different track – close tarmac, a lot of low speed, and also quite cold eventually. So I’ve been trying to really work on that in order to have a better idea, so I know how to behave better, especially this weekend.”