Kimi Antonelli delivered an impressive performance during a chaotic, rain affected Qualifying session at the 2026 F1 São Paulo GP. Due to teammate George Russell’s grid penalty, the young driver was promoted to starting on the front row in P2.
Speaking in the press conference after Qualifying, Antonelli reflects on navigating the track conditions, tyre strategy and Mercede’s Constructor Championship opportunities.
Navigating the circuit with tricky track conditions
Reflecting on his Qualifying performance, Antonelli described the extreme difficulty of finding grip on a wet track. Having completed only an out-lap on intermediate tyres in Q2, he entered Q3 without much knowledge about how the tyres behave. As rain intensified during his second lap, Antonelli admitted to making costly errors, including a moment into Turn 5 where he nearly spun.
“I felt okay on the Ex-Wets. Then in Q2, obviously, I just did the out-lap on inters, so I didn’t really know what to expect going into Q3. But it was tricky. It was tricky because I was trying different lines during the lap and trying to understand where the best grip was. But obviously, on that second lap, the rain started to get quite intense, especially in the second half, so it was a bit more difficult to gain lap time. But yeah, it was a shame because the lap had a big moment into Turn 5 where I almost spun. Also at Turn 9, I lost a lot on exit. Just was trying some different lines, so it didn’t really quite work out for me. But let’s see if tomorrow is going to be wet. Definitely, I will have a lot more knowledge about the car and about the conditions.”
Navigating the circuit in the wet for the first time presented unique challenges due to varying surfaces across different sectors. Antonelli highlighted that assessing grip levels across the sections required constant line adjustments.
Despite his mistakes, he expressed confidence that the experience expanded his understanding of the track, leaving him better prepared for race day at the 2026 F1 São Paulo GP.
“Yeah, it was the first time, so I was trying to understand the grip, which was not high at all. However, also with the different tarmac in different places, it was not easy to get the line right. But of course, I feel like I got a lot more knowledge in the wet about this track as well, and let’s see tomorrow. But definitely, I’ll try to be ready.”
Front-row grid position for Antonelli at the 2026 F1 São Paulo GP
Promoted to the front row alongside Lando Norris, Antonelli feels optimistic about challenging for the win. He pointed out that the Mercedes package demonstrated strong pace during both single-lap and long-runs in FP2.Recalling the severe conditions during Q1, Antonelli labeled the opening stint as the wettest environment he had ever driven in.
“Yeah, I think we do. Hopefully, we can get off the line well, and let’s see if it’s going to be wet or dry. In the dry, I felt very good over a single lap and on the long run, especially yesterday in FP2. So yeah, let’s see. I’m looking forward to it.”
“Yeah, I mean, it was the wettest conditions I’ve ever driven in, so it was not the nicest of experiences. And again, was just trying to understand how this track is in the wet. But yeah, it was quite tricky at times, and definitely, you know, Q1 was still too wet to drive for sure. It was not easy out there, but yeah, it was still fun.”
During the break in Q1, Antonelli passed the time by watching live streams of the Karting World Championship in La Conca.
“I started to watch some… There’s the World Championship in La Conca, so I was watching some races from karting. Yeah, just seeing how they were doing. That’s it.”
Constructors’ Championship Opportunities
Addressing the Constructors’ Championship battle, Antonelli stressed that securing pole position had been fully within the team’s reach. His main focus remains firmly on the the broader team goal. With Ferrari facing grid penalties for both of their drivers, Antonelli pointed out that Mercedes has a good position to wrap up the championship.
“Well, I think for today pole was very possible. I mean, you know, George was going for it. I did a lot of mistakes, but I think, yeah, tomorrow we’re in a very good position to clinch the Constructors’. Obviously, Ferrari, I think they’re both taking penalties, so we just need to finish the race ahead of both of them, and then we can finish the job for the team.”
Explaining how the transition from full wet to intermediate tyres felt, Antonelli shared his ongoing learning process with the wet compounds. He noted that while the extreme wet tyre initially offered good balance, fast overheating forced an early switch to the intermediate tyre.
While acknowledging his relative lack of wet-weather experience in Formula 1, he found the Intermediate tyre significantly more responsive once he found his rhythm at the 2026 F1 São Paulo GP.
“Yeah, I mean, I don’t have a lot of experience with this, so maybe… No, but I don’t know. The Ex-Wet felt okay. It felt actually quite good. Obviously, the transition came quite early because the Extreme Wet was overheating quite a lot. So yeah, the Inter felt better. You know, obviously, we did try it in Sepang and Singapore, and it felt like this entire out there. I’ll have to still make a bit more experience on that.”
