(Photo by PHILIPPE LOPEZ/AFP via Getty Images)

Pressure Builds on Kimi Antonelli After Session-Ending Mistake in Italian Grand Prix Practice

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Luke-John Buckle | Last updated Sep 5, 2025 11:32 AM ET

Andrea Kimi Antonelli spun and got stuck in the gravel in the opening stages of second practice at his home race in Italy in a needless incident.

The Italian driver went into his second home race of the year, this time at Monza, with a lot of pressure after crashing with Charles Leclerc at Zandvoort last time out.

Antonelli began the Italian Grand Prix weekend well, setting the fifth fastest time in first practice, but spun at Lesmo 2 and got stuck in the gravel in FP2.

It was a lacklustre moment for Antonelli, who hasn't scored a top-five finish since his podium in Canada in June.

Antonelli's incident caused a red flag before the one-hour session resumed with 43 minutes to go. A dejected Antonelli said on the team radio: "I'm beached, sorry about that" as his session came to a close.

Karun Chandhok said Antonelli's incident was "a bit odd"

Former Formula 1 driver Karun Chandhok explained in commentary for Sky Sports F1 that the incident was quite strange as the rear of the car stepped out early in the corner.

He added: "So he turns in and the rear of the car started to snap around very early. A bit odd, you don't often see people lose the car that early on.

Antonelli lost the rear around the two Lesmos and then got beached

Here's what happened #F1 #ItalianGP pic.twitter.com/EJgPusvOGI
— Formula 1 (@F1) September 5, 2025

"It's a shame because his FP1 was relatively clean, and for someone who's admitted he's down on confidence, he needs clean sessions."

Antonelli will have to bounce back quickly as he has just one practice session left before qualifying, and a clean session is vitally important.

It can be quite tricky to pass at Monza despite the long straights, so the Mercedes driver will have to hit the ground running in third practice on Saturday.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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