Italian Driver Antonelli’s Misfortune at the Austrian Grand Prix Qualifying: “Could Have Been in the Top 6”
In a heart-wrenching turn of events at the Austrian Grand Prix qualifying session, Andrea Kimi Antonelli of Mercedes found himself starting from the ninth position on the grid for tomorrow’s race. Despite a challenging day for Mercedes overall, with George Russell qualifying in fifth place behind his former teammate Lewis Hamilton, the young Italian driver had to forgo the opportunity to improve his lap time at the end of Q3. Due to a timing mismanagement error, Antonelli crossed the finish line too late, taking the checkered flag at the end of his out lap. This mistake cost him a higher starting position for the race.
Antonelli expressed his disappointment, stating, “Taking the checkered flag was a shame. I kept pushing because I thought I could still complete another timed lap, and I was indeed improving a lot, so it was a shame not to finish the last lap. Today, however, was not easy; it was quite challenging to put together a clean lap. The wind has changed a lot compared to yesterday, which significantly affected us. But I believe that, overall, today it was possible to be among the top six. Especially the last lap, if I had finished it, would have been much faster.”
Looking ahead to the race tomorrow, Antonelli remains optimistic about his chances of making a comeback. Despite the setback in qualifying, he reflected on the good pace they had during the practice sessions and hoped to carry that momentum into the race. The Italian driver also elaborated on the reasons behind his late timing compared to what was calculated by him and the team, citing his exit from the garage and being caught in traffic as contributing factors.
With the Austrian Grand Prix promising exciting duels on the track, Antonelli is determined to showcase his skills and fight his way up the grid during the race. Stay tuned for the adrenaline-pumping action as Antonelli aims for a stellar performance on race day.
