Andrea Kimi Antonelli’s qualifying session on the 2025 Hungarian Grand Prix did not fairly mirror the quiet confidence he had been constructing via the weekend. The Mercedes rookie confirmed promising tempo in Friday’s observe classes however went out in Q2 on Saturday.
After narrowly lacking out on Q3, Antonelli now finds himself beginning P15 on Sunday, regardless of feeling he had the tempo for extra. Talking after the race, he mentioned (through Mercedes’ qualifying report):
“I’ve felt rather more confidence within the automobile and in myself this weekend. I felt good going into qualifying, and Q1 went easily. It’s annoying and irritating, due to this fact, to get knocked out in Q2. I got here out of the ultimate nook to begin my final lap and felt much less grip with the rear tires than on my earlier effort. That grew to become worse all through the lap, so it is probably we have been a bit too scorching on the tire temperatures.”
Throughout each Free Follow classes on Friday, Kimi Antonelli appeared to make real progress after a string of inauspicious race weekends.
He was the seventh quickest in FP1 with 1:16.880, simply forward of teammate George Russell. Though Russell bounced again in FP2 with 1:16.417, Antonelli nonetheless managed a strong 1:16.520, placing him in P10. But it surely was on Saturday that the story started to unravel for the 18-year-old.
With Mercedes utilizing an older suspension configuration for extra stability, each vehicles initially responded properly. Russell went into Q3 and half a tenth off Charles Leclerc’s pole time, ultimately settling for P4. Antonelli, in the meantime, seemed sturdy in Q1 and entered Q2 with momentum. But one thing shifted.
The lack of rear-end grip proved pricey. His ultimate flying lap, initially sufficient for P11 with a time of 1:15.782, left him simply 0.01s shy of progressing to Q3. To make issues worse, that very lap was later struck off the timing sheets for a monitor limits breach. The deletion bumped him additional down the grid, to a beginning place of P15, souring what had been a comparatively productive weekend up till then.
“Tomorrow is a brand new day”: Kimi Antonelli eyes fightback as Mercedes chases redemption in Budapest warmth
For Kimi Antonelli, the Hungary GP marks one more lesson in an already emotionally demanding rookie season. Filling Lewis Hamilton’s seat was all the time going to be a tricky act, however the expectations have solely grown louder with every race. And whereas he did provide a glimpse of his potential with a podium in Canada, the European leg of his season has been something however variety.
With no factors from six races, the struggles are sometimes rooted in Mercedes’ battle in opposition to rising temperatures and inconsistent grip ranges. On the Hungaroring, regardless of preliminary indicators of enchancment and a automobile that lastly felt extra responsive, the result adopted a well-recognized sample. Tire overheating performed a important function in Qualifying, as did monitor evolution, elements which have plagued Antonelli via the season. However Kimi remains to be trying forward.
“Tomorrow is a brand new day although and we’ll discover how we are able to combat again into the factors. The climate forecast is blended, and we’ll be ready for all eventualities. We might good tempo on our long term in FP2 and hopefully we are able to use that to good impact,” he added.
The climate, because it seems, could also be his largest ally. After a scorching FP3, Qualifying noticed clouds over the Hungaroring, cooling the monitor. Wind grew stronger because the hour progressed, subtly affecting rear-end stability, simply sufficient to throw Antonelli off throughout that decisive lap.
However Kimi Antonelli, by his personal admission, has felt extra comfy this weekend than in latest outings. Whether or not that consolation interprets right into a factors end on Sunday will now rely on Mercedes’ technique and the Budapest climate.
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Edited by Sumeet Kavthale
