Kimi Antonelli believes Mercedes maximised its result at the 2026 F1 Hungarian GP after the Championship leader recovered from seventh on the grid to claim the final spot on the podium.
Antonelli made his first pit stop later than many of his rivals before eventually making his second stop with just 16 laps remaining. The Mercedes driver then benefited from Oscar Piastri’s late retirement and the resulting Virtual Safety Car, which promoted him to third.
Although Antonelli admitted that the VSC had played a role in his podium finish, the Italian was pleased with the way Mercedes had executed the race.
“Yeah, I think today we maximised the result. Obviously, we were a bit lucky with the VSC, I mean, with Oscar’s issue, but other than that, we did the best we could,” Antonelli explained in the post-race press conference.
“Conditions were quite difficult today, struggling a little bit with oversteer, balance and then understeer. So, yeah, conditions were not easy today, but I’m happy with the result.”
Norris with the pace at the Hungaroring
While Antonelli finished third, he admitted that even starting higher up the grid would not necessarily have put him in a position to challenge race winner Lando Norris.
The McLaren driver controlled the final stages of the race after Piastri’s retirement, with Antonelli believing Norris still held the advantage on pure pace throughout the weekend.
“I don’t know. I mean, if I’d started P3, then it would have been another thing,” Antonelli said.
“But I think Lando still had the upper hand this weekend, even on us. On pure pace, I don’t think I would have been able to challenge him, especially with how difficult it was to follow as well, with a lot of tyre overheating. So, I think it would have been very difficult.”
Despite that, Antonelli praised Mercedes for its strategic decisions throughout the race, revealing that the team initially took a risk before adjusting its approach due to safety concerns.
“But other than that, it was a great team effort. Also, with strategy, we took a risk initially and then we kind of pulled back a little bit because we were a bit concerned about safety,” he continued.
“But still, despite that, they put me in a position to fight for, eventually, the podium. So, it was a great team effort.”
Antonelli’s ninth podium finish in 11 races in 2026
The Hungarian GP podium marked Antonelli’s ninth podium finish in the opening 11 races of the 2026 season, exceeding even his own expectations ahead of his first full season as Championship leader.
“Well, for sure, I did not expect to find myself in this position,” Antonelli said.
“But, you know, the car has been extremely good, the team has done an incredible job and, on my side, I try to maximise every opportunity I have.
“Of course, there’s still lots of work to do, lots to learn, but it was a good first half of the season. Now I’m looking forward to the second half and we’re just going to keep pushing.”
