Antonelli claims P2, Minì makes positive Formula 2 debut
Kimi Antonelli delivered a fine late flying lap to take a front-row start for the FIA Formula 2 Feature Race at Baku City Circuit. The Italian maximized the single-lap shootout created by a red flag situation to secure second place at the end of Qualifying, ending up only a couple of hundredths of a second away from pole.
Making his FIA Formula 2 debut, Gabriele Minì fought with the series' veterans and stayed in contention for the leading positions in the first portion of the session. After the restart, experience became even more crucial as there was only one chance to lay down a lap. Minì eventually finished in P8, a promising starting spot for the Feature Race and a valuable second-row position for the Sprint Race.
Coming from a convincing double run, PREMA Racing is now set for two tense races at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
#3 GABRIELE MINÌ
"First ever qualifying in Formula 2 for me, and I think we can be pretty happy. We were consistently fighting for the top five especially before the red flag. The lap before the red flag was also quite good, I was improving a lot. After that we had just one push, and I didn't do the best job warming up the brakes, which is the main difference compared to F3. It was not ideal for the last push but still we put the lap in and we're in the top ten. It's top three on the reverse grid for tomorrow, and a good start."
#4 KIMI ANTONELLI
"Qualifying is complete, and it was a pretty messy one, but I was quite happy about how I got back into the rhythm. In the end, it was positive, and we secured a good position for the Feature Race. The car felt good and I'm happy about it."