Out of luck in qualifying and held up by traffic in the race: Kimi Antonelli’s DHL Fastest Lap goes unrewarded

Following on from a wet British Grand Prix, the Formula 1 weekend at Spa-Francorchamps was likewise adversely influenced by the capricious Ardennes weather. When the race eventually started after a long delay, the track was seen to be drying quickly, so slicks soon became the tire of choice.

At one third of the way through the race, dry tires were judged to be the faster option. Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli had started the race from 19th place after a problematic qualifying session and, like most of the drivers, he decided against the hard C1 tires, opting instead for the medium compound (C3). As a consequence of his disappointing quali on the day before, the Mercedes rookie found himself stuck in traffic for a long time, with clear track in short supply.

An alternative strategy was called for: on lap 30, the 18-year-old came into the pits a second time, again for medium tires. With fresh rubber and a clear track, he was at last able to demonstrate his pace. On lap 32, Antonelli set the fastest lap of the race with a time of 1:44.861 minutes, thereby securing the DHL Fastest Lap.

However, his achievement was to go unrewarded in terms of points as, despite the change of strategy, Antonelli was unable to break into the Top Ten – 16th place was the best he could manage. "The car felt good," he said after the race. But that alone was not enough: "Despite being able to stick close to those we were racing, we were unable to get any overtakes done."