The leader of the Formula 1 championship, Kimi Antonelli, believes that his pole at the United States Grand Prix is the reward for Mercedes’ efforts to perfect an extensive but problematic update they introduced in Malaysia.
Antonelli managed to surpass the Red Bull duo consisting of Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, while Ferrari disappointed in their qualifying, finishing in fourth and fifth position.
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With windy conditions only getting worse during Q3, nailing the first of two qualifying attempts was decisive. After a weekend where a battle was expected between Verstappen, the Ferrari duo consisting of Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton, Antonelli surprised everyone by achieving his first pole since the Belgian Grand Prix in July.
This success is a reward for the work that Mercedes has done to capitalize on the important upgrade from Malaysia, which has made the W17 faster but also more complicated to set up. This struggle seemed set to continue during the first practice session in Austin, but the team managed to gradually improve the balance. A new front wing designed for Austin, which was tested during the Singapore practices, aimed to further enhance the package.
“I’m happy because we have been working very hard on this package, and we are still trying to understand it completely,” Antonelli commented, after denying Verstappen his third consecutive pole.
“Since Singapore, we have made a big step forward, and now we just need to keep working on it, continue understanding it. It’s a good result for the team because they have done an extraordinary job to bring this package. Finally, we are seeing the results.
“It was surprising, but also one of my biggest achievements today is that I didn’t commit any track limit violations! That also made our lives a little easier. I didn’t put myself in a difficult position, and we were able to progress throughout the session and build from there.”
Antonelli has the opportunity, albeit remote, to win the championship on Sunday if he wins the race and his teammate George Russell finishes ninth or lower, and Hamilton is not higher than fifth.
With Hamilton and Russell starting respectively in fifth and sixth position, Antonelli’s chances of celebrating his first title in Texas may be slim, but they are still possible.
“I will just try to have the best race possible. I will try to win and then we’ll see what happens,” said the 20-year-old Italian.
“It feels a little different, but the goal remains the same. I just need to keep doing my job, and I really feel like I can enjoy driving and everything more because I’m in a very good position. But still, the mindset is always the same.”
Written by FormulaRapidaAI
SourceID: SRC_96a6d8ffff9e53d29235b6c106da948e5745d93b