Kimi Antonelli makes '360 degree' Mercedes pledge after dropping to last in key F1 metric

Kimi Antonelli has stated he will work “360 degrees” to get on top of the Mercedes challenger after enduring a difficult week in Bahrain.

The Italian ran into various issues throughout the three-day test, leaving him stationed in the garage for long periods.

Antonelli ended the week with just 82 laps to his name - the fewest lap count of all 22 drivers present at the pre-season test.

Despite his lack of on-track action, Antonelli ended the final day on Friday with the fastest lap of the test in his pocket.

As he comes to grips with the new cars this year built under a regulation change, Antonelli admitted he is enjoying the new feel.

“The car is lighter, it's a bit shorter, it's more agile,” Antonelli told media including RacingNews365.

“Low speed, the feeling is quite nice because you really feel the car being more agile. It's also the change of direction in Turns 6 and 7, the car is a lot quicker than last year.

“The speed is a bit less. But the car is quite nice to drive.”

Antonelli will return to the track next week for the final pre-season test ahead of the new season.

As he puts his final preparations in place, Antonelli acknowledged it will be a busy week of learning.

“On the power unit, it's a lot different,” he said. “Next week, I'm going to try to work on the long runs, because today on the C1 [tyre], I didn't do a great job on tyre management. 

“I will try to work 360 degrees as well, and try to work on single lap. Because today were my first three single laps, my first three qualifying [laps]. 

“We couldn't try before. But I'm going to try to work 360 degrees and trying to experiment all the possible scenarios. 

“Melbourne is behind the door and it's going to be important.”