Andrea Kimi Antonelli finished the qualifying session in fifth place despite a mistake in the first sector.
Another solid qualifying performance from Andrea Kimi Antonelli, who will start today’s race from fifth position, alongside Carlos Sainz on the third row. However, the Mercedes driver from Bologna didn’t deliver a perfect lap, having lost most of his time in the first sector of the Saudi circuit due to a mistake that cost him about half a second. Still, the young Italian feels confident heading into the race, and believes fourth place was within reach.
Here’s what Antonelli had to say after qualifying: “It was a really intense qualifying session. Overall, it went well and I kept improving lap after lap. In Q1, I had a big snap on my first attempt, which forced me to use a second set of fresh tires to make it through — not ideal, but we still managed to get into Q3. After the red flag, it all came down to the final lap. I’ll need to review the onboard to fully understand what happened, but I know I lost valuable time in the first sector. It’s a shame, because the rest of the lap was strong and I think P4 was definitely within reach.”
The Italian driver then added: “Every weekend I feel more and more comfortable. This track is really challenging — it demands a lot of confidence and precision, especially when you’re skimming the walls at high speed. With more experience, I’m learning to put the laps together more consistently. I don’t want to get ahead of myself — tomorrow’s race will be long and tough, and our goal is to maximize every opportunity and bring home valuable points for the team.”
Photo: X Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team
