Kimi Antonelli slows his pace in Malaysia but openly admits Mercedes is still figuring out its new upgrades.
Was a top 3 finish possible for Kimi Antonelli and Mercedes at the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia? The young Italian believes the leading positions were within reach. However, during qualifying, Max Verstappen was clearly on another level.
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“I think it was a shame to hit the track limits. I had a lot of understeer and tried to keep it inside, but it wasn’t enough,” Antonelli honestly shared with Sky Sport F1 Italy. “So it was unfortunate because I felt more pressure.”
Antonelli also admitted he couldn’t complete a “100%” flying lap in Q3 because he wanted “to keep a bit of margin” for his final attack. “Still, I’m surprised because with Hadjar’s penalty it was pretty much a P4.”
It’s worth remembering Red Bull’s driver, who qualified third, will receive a 5-place grid penalty for an engine change. Yet the Italian was candid, saying “with a clean qualifying, P2 or P3 on track would have been the best we could do,” since Max Verstappen, who secured pole, was “too fast for us.”
mercedes upgrades struggling in malaysia?
Toto Wolff had already announced a new upgrade package would arrive for the Bahrain GP in Malaysia. However, this update appears to be underperforming so far.
“We definitely struggled with the balance; it wasn’t easy,” Antonelli commented. The team is still trying to understand “how this package works because I think this weekend overall we were a bit off the window. Also, this track doesn’t help with its worn asphalt and the heat,” he added. “We don’t know how to make it work properly.”
The Italian remains positive about race pace: “We are a bit better there.” However, he warned about rivals: “Red Bull and Ferrari remain very fast. Tomorrow we will focus on a better start.”
Cover image credits: Marco Talluto for F1InGenerale
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