Budapest win was a breaktrough, says Mercedes junior driver Antonelli

Mercedes junior driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli insists that his victory at the Budapest F2 feature race has been a breakthrough in his debut year in Formula One's main feeder series.

Andrea Kimi Antonelli kicked off his maiden Formula 2 campaign in rather tough fashion, having struggled for pace at the start of the season.

However, the Italian sensation managed to claim his maiden F2 win at Silverstone in tricky damp conditions, albeit it was 'only' a sprint victory. The Bologna-born racer crossed the finish line more than eight seconds clear of his nearest rival despite a late Safety Car.

Two weeks later, Antonelli was slightly off the pace in qualifying at the Hungaroring, but he took a sensational maiden Feature Race victory on Sunday. Even if he was helped by a late safety car, he charged through the field on the soft tyre to take the lead and score his second F2 victory of the season.

The last round before the summer break was a tougher weekend as he failed to score any points in the rain-shortened Spa sprint race while he finished down in P9 in the feature race.

Reflecting on the first half of his season, Antonelli noted: “It’s been an intense month of racing. The last couple of races have gone pretty well. I’m happy with the improvements from my side and the team as well.

“The Sprint in the wet in Silverstone, I started P1. While Hungary was in the dry starting P7. So very different conditions, starting positions and two very different races.

“Silverstone was so special as it was my first F2 win. And the conditions were so difficult as they were changing every lap. But Budapest I fought really hard and we showed really good pace through the race. That was important for me and the whole team.

“I’ll be spending some days at the kart track during my summer break, as we get closer to the second part of the season. But before that I’m going on holiday to the US with some friends which is going to be really fun.”