Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli has opened up about the factors that undermined his race and his feeling in the W16 following his P5 finish at the F1 Singapore GP on Sunday.
Despite showing promising pace in the final hour of practice and the first two segments of qualifying, Antonelli’s best lap in Q3 was only good enough for a second row. While his teammate George Russell qualified on pole, the Italian set the fourth-fastest time on Saturday.
Starting Sunday’s race on the medium compound tyres, Antonelli immediately lost two positions to Lando Norris and Charles Leclerc off the line. Although he ran within DRS range of the Ferrari for lap after lap, the Mercedes driver was unable to make any headway in the first stint. Eventually, he dived into the pits on Lap 25 for a set of hard tyres.
With the Monégasque encountering brake issues, Antonelli finally managed to get past him on Lap 54. While Russell took a stunning victory under the lights at the Marina Bay Street Circuit, the 19-year-old ultimately took the chequered flag in fifth place.
How did the weekend get away from Antonelli?
Speaking in the print media pen after the F1 race, Kimi Antonelli lamented his poor start that cost him crucial track position and compromised his progress from the get-go at the Singapore GP.
Emphasising the W16’s solid pace, the rookie also admitted that his failure to execute a better lap in Q3 quashed his hopes for securing a better finishing position on Sunday.
“The start was difficult, left-hand side of the grid was a bit worse than the right-hand side, [it] was a bit dirtier and a bit more difficult to do a good start. It was a shame as it defined a bit the race. As we have seen previously, track position is extremely important. [I] lost a couple of places at the start, then [got] stuck behind Leclerc.
“The pace was really good to be honest, I felt really good in the car and just a bit disappointed because the potential was higher. I think with a better Q3, [it] could have been a different story but we’ll try to do better next time.”
Nonetheless, Antonelli was content with his race management and the overtake he pulled off on Leclerc at one of the most physically taxing F1 races of the year.
“It was a tough race physically but I’m happy with how I managed to battle back. The pace was good, and I was able to gain a position back with a good move on Leclerc. We could have achieved more tonight but P5 is still okay.”
Looking forward to the rest of the season
Against all expectations, the Brackley-based team fared exceptionally well in the hot and humid conditions on Sunday as George Russell achieved his fifth career win and Kimi Antonelli scored consecutive top-five finishes for the first time in his F1 career.
Alluding to the new front wing Mercedes introduced at the Singapore GP, Antonelli elaborated on how he was able to navigate the W16 through the streets of Marina Bay with relative ease. Hailing this development as an encouraging sign, the Italian added that he was looking forward to the remaining flyaway races of the season.
“Definitely the car is getting stronger and stronger. I’m able to really put the car where I want and really play with the car so that is a real positive one and, yeah, just really looking forward to the next few races.”
Furthermore, Antonelli congratulated his teammate and McLaren on their respective accomplishments. He was also effusive about the Brixworth-based factory squad for manufacturing and supplying the power units that have won the Constructors’ Championship in successive years.
“Congratulations to George [Russell] for winning the race. He did a great job and maximised the result and also congratulations to McLaren for winning the Constructors’ and congratulations to our department as well – they’ve done an incredible job [going] back-to-back, our engine is winning the Championship so incredible job from them as well.”
