Antonelli concedes quali weakness in rookie year

Aug.12 (GMM) Kimi Antonelli admits he is still struggling to extract the maximum from his Mercedes over a single lap in his debut Formula 1 season.

Literal tears flowed during the 18-year-old’s first Belgian GP at Spa-Francorchamps due to a weekend of poor pace, prompting Mercedes to revert to an older rear suspension specification for Hungary – a move that brought an immediate upturn in form.

Yet the Italian, Lewis Hamilton’s successor at the team and compared early to Max Verstappen, admits he has not yet mastered qualifying.

“In qualifying, the grip is extremely high. You enter the corners so much faster than in the race. And on every lap, you think – this corner is going even faster.

“I’m not at the point yet where I’m at the absolute limit on the first lap,” Antonelli is quoted as saying by Auto Motor und Sport.

“I’m feeling my way toward the limit. The problem is that qualifying doesn’t give you many opportunities to work toward it for a long time. On top of that, the limit is constantly changing with the conditions. But I’m working on it.”

Antonelli says the gap to teammate George Russell is smaller in race trim. “Tyre management is easier for me because you’re not driving at the limit in the race,” he explained. “Then you also have a better idea of how much the car will forgive you.”

After the recent collapse of Mercedes’ pursuit of Max Verstappen, the Brackley team is expected to retain both Russell and Antonelli for 2026.

“My goal has to be to achieve the same times as him,” Antonelli said. “I believe that’s possible.

“George is having an extremely strong season. He’s showing that he’s among the best. Especially when the car is working, he demonstrates what he’s capable of. He’s a truly challenging teammate.

“If I were at his level at the end of the year, that would be an honour.”

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