Antonelli: ‘Good to bounce back’ after Sprint race setback

Kimi Antonelli responded to the frustrations of a chaotic Sprint race in Miami with a composed and commanding qualifying performance later in the day, earning P3 for Sunday’s Miami Grand Prix.

The Mercedes rookie had started the day with high hopes after securing pole position for the Sprint, only for a first lap clash with McLaren’s Oscar Piastri to drop his out of contention.

A pitlane mishap with Max Verstappen further dropped him down the order, and despite a series of post-race penalties shuffling the final classification, he was left with only a seventh-place finish and two points.

Yet when qualifying for Sunday’s main event rolled around, the young Italian showed resilience and focus, delivering a superb lap when it mattered most to secure third on the grid – sandwiched between the McLaren duo Lando Norris and Piastri.

“It was good to bounce back this way”

Reflecting on his day, Antonelli cast a positive view on his efforts.

“This weekend is going well so far. It was a bit disappointing this morning, but it was good to bounce back this way,” he said.

Although not entirely satisfied with his qualifying session, Antonelli acknowledged that he managed to string together a strong final lap in Q3 to salvage a result that helped wash away the Sprint race frustration.

"I struggled a little bit during the quali, I didn’t have such a clean run like I had yesterday. But that last lap was quite good. I was a bit too greedy in Turn 1, but the rest of the lap was quite good, so I’m happy with it.”

• Read also: Russell surprised by narrow gap to pole in ‘worst quali’ of season

Antonelli’s best lap – 1m26.271s – was just 0.002s shy of Norris’s time and within striking distance of Max Verstappen, who secured pole with a 1m26.204s.

"The gaps are super tight, and definitely, if you can gain just a few hundredths, you can make up so many places,” Antonelli noted.

“It’s really about putting everything together, and so far this weekend I’m doing that. Hopefully tomorrow we can have a good race."

Notably, Antonelli outqualified his more experienced team-mate George Russell for the first time in a Grand Prix this season, with Russell ending up fifth.

It’s a small but significant milestone for the 18-year-old, whose rapid growth and composure are increasingly making waves in the F1 paddock.

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