The first victory in a single-seater is never forgotten. If he then reaches the photo finish, with a margin of only 3 thousandths on the second thanks to an overtaking at the end, then the memory will be even sweeter.
Andrea Kimi Antonelli won today the success in the first round of the F4 UAE, staged in Abu Dhabi, mocking teammate Aiden Neate in the final sprint.
The Bolognese born in 2006, among other things, should not have taken part in the first event of the Emirates series but was called to replace Rafael Camara who was forced to stop due to health problems.
At the start Antonelli joined his teammate Neate, thanks to the disastrous start of the poleman Inthraphuvasak, and the two PREMA team riders immediately made a void taking a good margin over Wharton.
The battle on the track, however, didn’t last that long. Due to a multiple contact occurred on the second lap that put Zanfari out of the game, Brando Badoer and Day, the race management considered it appropriate to have the safety car enter the track to allow the marshals to remove the crashed cars.
The operations went on for a long time, leaving the pilots the opportunity to return to dueling only for the final 5 minutes. Despite this, the show was intense and the protagonists were always Neate and Antonelli.
The English driver maintained the lead at the restart, but was followed like a shadow by the junior Mercedes who during the penultimate lap tried an impossible overtaking on the outside of turn 6. Neate defended himself with his teeth and forced Antonelli to cut the escape route.
The Bolognese, however, was lucid in giving up the position to Neate again, avoiding James Wharton who, thanks to the fight between the first two, had reduced the gap from the top.
Antonelli, who has always shown a higher pace than the Englishman, did not stop thinking about success and tried again the attack on Neate on the occasion of the last lap always on the outside of turn 6.
This time the Bolognese was perfect in staying on the road and despite exiting the chicane with less traction, he managed to take the photo finish victory with a margin of just 3 thousandths over Neate.
Wharton, on the other hand, had to settle for third place albeit with a gap of only 108 thousandths from the top, while at the foot of the podium he closed Alex Dunne in front of Rik Koen.
For poleman Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak, fourteenth at the finish line after the disastrous start, the only satisfaction of the day came with the fastest lap obtained in 1’55 ” 624.
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