Here's the thing: Kimi Antonelli is lining up on the second row for the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, but the Mercedes driver is convinced a front row start was right there for the taking if not for a costly mistake. The Italian championship leader bounced back from a tricky Friday to top Saturday's final practice session, only to hit trouble during qualifying when his initial lap time in Q2 was scrubbed for exceeding track limits.
That slip-up forced the 20-year-old back out onto the tarmac on fresh soft tyres, severely draining his remaining supply of new rubber for the all-important Q3 shootout. Left with just one set, Antonelli bided his time in the final segment until the track cleared, initially slotting into P3 before slipping to fourth. Thanks to a penalty handed to Isack Hadjar ahead of him, he will ultimately inherit third on the grid.
Reflecting on the session, Antonelli did not hide his frustration over the tyre crunch. “It's a shame because with only one set, [there was] big pressure,” he said. “I did what I could, but definitely with another set, we could have fought for front row – not P1, because Max was just too quick today. So probably front row was possible today, but obviously a shame with the track limits and we'll try to do our best tomorrow.”
Learning of the grid bump delivered by Hadjar's penalty brought some welcome relief, with the driver admitting the news was "not too bad" and "good news" for Sunday's prospects. Attention now turns to the race itself, where tyre degradation is expected to play a massive role.
"We'll try to do our best with what we have," the Mercedes driver explained. “Deg is going to be very big – we'll see if it's going to be a matter of two stops, three stops. Also, rain is around tomorrow. So yeah, we'll try everything we can, and I’m looking forward to it tomorrow.”
