Kimi Antonelli qualified P4 for the 2026 F1 Singapore GP, with his championship lead intact heading into Sunday’s feature race. The Italian set a 1:31.562 in Q3, 0.189 seconds behind pole sitter Max Verstappen. Mercedes ran a split-spec car across the weekend, with Antonelli carrying the updated package. He spoke in the print media pen after the session.
Antonelli on Mercedes’ upgrade progress throughout the weekend at Singapore
Kimi Antonelli described a significant set-up change made ahead of qualifying that helped stabilise the car. The upgrade had shifted the balance window, and the team had been searching for the right approach since Malaysia. A move in the opposite direction with the set-up brought the car into a better place.
“Yes, yes, definitely. We start seeing what the package can give to us. However, it’s still difficult to find the right window. We did a big, big step in set-up today and we seem to put the car in a better place, even by giving away a bit of performance, but the car just seems to work in a better way. However, the window was still very small, very sensitive, especially throughout qualifying. When you try to push more and more with the track improvement, the car was reacting quite differently to any extra pushing, braking a little bit later, combining a bit more,” Antonelli stated.
“So, the window is still very small, but the team did a great job on turning around and now we start to get some answers. In Malaysia, we were a bit lost, now we have the head a bit more clear.”
Antonelli on what comes next for the upgrade package
Antonelli was asked whether the team now had a platform to build on, or whether they were simply managing a narrow window. He pointed to Austin as the next real opportunity to explore the package more fully with plenty of high-speed cornering at a normal venue, and said having both Mercedes cars on the same spec would help accelerate that process.
“To be fair, we went completely opposite with the set-up and the car was in a happier place. However, I think we still need a bit more time. In Austin, obviously, we go back to a normal weekend and I feel like we can explore a lot more.
“The best would be to have two cars on the same spec because at least you can try very different things on both. I think the team did a tremendous job on trying to bring this package and it has improved in certain areas, but definitely it has shifted the window in a different way. We just need to keep working, keep exploring, but then I’m sure once we find the right window, then we’re going to be able to use the potential of the package.”
Antonelli on his set-up direction ahead of qualifying for the 2026 F1 Singapore GP
Antonelli clarified the nature of the set-up change. The car had been sliding across the circuit on Friday, and the team opted to stabilise it at the cost of some downforce. The car was easier to drive as a result, though the sensitivity of the window remained.
“Yes, just really trying to make the car because yesterday the car was just sliding a bit everywhere. Just trying to stabilise a bit the car, giving away a little bit of aero performance, but just having a more stable platform. Even though it was better to drive, the window was still very small. The good thing is that now we start to see what the package brings and the areas where we need to work on and we are starting to get some answers, which is a good thing,” Antonelli concluded.
