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Verstappen’s early stop briefly worried Antonelli

Archive photograph: Max Verstappen · 2024-08-25Archive photo · 2024-08-25 · Steffen Prößdorf · CC BY-SA 4.0

After winning the United States Grand Prix, Kimi Antonelli said Verstappen’s early switch to soft tyres briefly worried him. Mercedes extended its medium-tyre stint before choosing a one-stop strategy.

From the GPBeat newsroomPublished · · 1 min

After winning the United States Grand Prix, Kimi Antonelli said Max Verstappen’s early stop for fresh soft tyres briefly worried him.

Antonelli said the pace on the medium tyres returned, allowing Mercedes to extend his stint without losing too much time. After the first stint on mediums, the team chose a one-stop strategy, he said.

The hard tyre felt robust, Antonelli said, and he trusted it to carry him to the finish, although he did not know exactly how much management it would require. He called the weekend one of his best in Formula 1 and praised Mercedes’ strategy and faith in the one-stop.

Additional race context

Context prepared on ·

The timing behind Antonelli’s account: Verstappen stopped on laps 13 and 31, while Antonelli made his only stop on lap 24, eleven laps after Verstappen’s first. Antonelli won; Verstappen finished third, 17.485 seconds behind. Pit-stop timing alone cannot establish how much each strategy contributed to the final gap.

Read the full race report · Source 1 · Source 2 · Source 3

Sources 01
  1. SOURCEKimi Antonelli maakte zich zorgen om Max VerstappenRacingNews365 Nederland