Kimi Antonelli bemoans 'frustrating' end to Bahrain F1 test

Kimi Antonelli has admitted he found the end to his pre-season test in Bahrain “frustrating” after being forced to park up his car early.

Antonelli was behind the wheel of Mercedes' car on Friday to round out his test programme, however it ended prematurely when the W17 was struck by an issue.

It marked yet another mechanical hiccup for the Brackley-based squad in Bahrain, which primarily occurred when Antonelli was behind the wheel.

The Italian logged 516 laps throughout the entire pre-season test period - placing him 10th on the overall list. 

But having been denied the chance to progress his lap count even further in the final hours of his programme, Antonelli admitted the situation left him disappointed.

“We had a disappointing end to our pre-season testing with a power unit issue stopping us running prematurely this morning,” he said.

“We’ve had several reliability issues here in Bahrain and that has limited the mileage I’ve managed in the W17.

“It’s frustrating for everyone in the team but that is what testing is for. Before our stoppage today, we still managed 49 laps and that is useful learning.”

Despite Antonelli's limited mileage, the team was able to rack up strong data with George Russell, who logged 688 laps throughout testing - the most of any driver.

Mercedes is the team many people have placed at the head of the pecking order as the opening round approaches, but Antonelli asserted there is still work it needs to do to ensure it is fighting at the front.

“We now have a short turnaround before we head to Melbourne,” he said.

“We’ve got a solid platform to build from, but we know we need to continue to improve if we are to be in the fight at the front there. 

“We have several areas of particular focus, alongside bringing general performance to the car, and everyone at Brackley and Brixworth is already working on that.”