Kimi Antonelli finished the F1 Qatar GP in P5 after losing what could have been P4, or even a podium, due to a mistake on Turn 10 of the penultimate lap that let Lando Norris through.
Pit stop and Turn 10 frustrations
The Mercedes rookie started the race in P5 and gained a position on the opening lap when overtaking teammate George Russell. However, on Lap 7, he was one of sixteen cars to make their first mandatory pit stop under a safety car, switching to mediums, but he left the pits behind Carlos Sainz and rejoined in P5. He was held as an Aston went by down the lane.
Antonelli managed a good pace throughout the race before completing his second packed pit stop on Lap 32 to put on hard tyres. During the final laps of the race, he held Norris back until the Italian ran wide as he had a rear snap in Turn 10, allowing the Brit through to P4.
“Yeah, it was an intense race, again dictated by dirty air, track position. I think what really compromised the race was the pit stop of having to hold into the box to avoid any unsafe releases because everyone was coming in,” he said, referring to the full pit lanes on Lap 7 and 32.
“Obviously, so early on into the race with the pack being so close, we were unfortunate because we had to hold. So then I lost a place to Carlos and then in stint two, with the medium I was a bit concerned because some graining started to appear. Just staying in those two seconds, but really hard to get close.”
He continued: “With the hard I was pushing quite a lot and eventually I was getting to DRS but then in 10 I had a massive moment and almost crashed. Then I went off track and lost a place to Lando, which was very annoying.”
A missed chance
When asked if he had not made the mistake at Turn 10, would a podium have been possible, Antonelli answered: “Very difficult, I mean we were gaining quite a lot from Carlos and we were quite a bit stronger in the last sector, so definitely with two laps to go we would have had DRS in that lap and then probably would have had a shot in the last lap. Yeah, just didn’t happen because […] I need to check, I went in a bit quicker than the lap before.”
The Mercedes driver further explained his Turn 10 mistake, “Obviously with dirty air here the car is more unpredictable because you have less downforce and the tyres overheat more. I went in a bit quicker and just lost the rear all of a sudden. I didn’t expect it and obviously at such a high speed I went off track and then the next corner with picking up all the dirt I had a massive moment again and went off track again. Just need to look into detail, but it was really annoying.”
A physically demanding race
The Lusail International Circuit is one of the toughest tracks on the calendar for drivers, with its flowing layout, high G-forces, and intense heat.
After the race, Antonelli admitted: “It was not easy, especially on the neck it was quite hard, but at the end of the day I felt pretty okay physically.
“I think the first day here was very hard and I was very concerned because I was like, oh, I’m not going to make it. But then the second day I improved physically and the third day I felt even better in the car, so definitely this track is one of the most demanding because it’s low deck and the last sector is a killer. You do 5G constantly, so it’s not easy, but at the end of the day I felt pretty okay physically.”
Antonelli confident he could have held Norris behind
Until Antonelli’s mistake at Turn 10, he was defending well from Norris and even started to close in on Sainz, who reported an issue with the car.
When asked whether he could have held Norris behind until the end, Antonelli confidently said: “Yeah, definitely.
“I was comfortable because again it came with so much more pace, but then again in dirtier it just couldn’t get past. So I was pretty comfortable because it was even out of the DRS for a couple of laps, so I felt I could have held him, but yeah, just did a mistake.”
Fighting near the front
With the 2025 Formula 1 season coming to an end, Antonelli reflected on his recent success of being able to challenge near the front of the grid.
“Yeah, definitely. I think overall the second half of the season has been much, much stronger and we’ve been fighting more often at the front, which is exciting and we’ve shown the pace. I think in Vegas we were super quick, in Brazil we were able to hold on,” he said, having claimed two P2 podiums in Brazil and been promoted to P3 in Las Vegas.
“So I think we can be happy, but of course there’s a lot of room to improve and to work on and just need to keep the momentum and just finish the year on a high and then 2026 will start.”
