Kimi Antonelli believes he would not have been able to deliver the performance he did in Las Vegas at the start of his F1 career, calling it his “best race of the season” as he ran one set of tires for 48 laps en route to a podium finish.
The rookie has had an up and down first year in F1, with the last round in Las Vegas proving no different as he crashed out in Q1 and opted to gamble on early pit stops. At the end of lap 2 he bolted on the hard tires and rode them to the checkered flag in last place as he crossed the line in fourth, before a five-second penalty dropped him to fifth.
However, he was later promoted to third place after a double disqualification for McLaren, which was his third podium of the season and was arguably the podium he fought hardest for, as he ultimately finished 14th in the 50-lap race.
Asked if he believed it was his best race of the season despite achieving a high P2 finish in Brazil, he replied: “I think it definitely was, because we executed everything very well.
“Obviously the strategy was very strange but we stuck to it. It changed the whole race, and the fact that we were able to maintain that one-stop allowed us to finish there in the end.
“From my side, it was probably the best race of the season so far because in that stint I was able to manage the tires and put together everything I’ve learned this season. It was good because it kept coming, and it was good fun.
“I wouldn’t have been able to do that at the beginning of the season. The tires gradually got older and I was able to react and balance the car with the team’s support, especially in the last few laps. At the beginning of the season I would have stopped instead of going to the end.”
The result was Mercedes’ second double podium of the year as George Russell took P2, but it was not the straightest weekend for them. After qualifying, he reported that he had difficulty turning into corners due to an undisclosed problem with the steering, which reappeared in the race.
Finishing the Grand Prix in third place, he similarly took advantage of a McLaren disqualification to finish second, helping Mercedes establish a 40-point lead over Red Bull in the team standings.
After finishing behind McLaren, Ferrari and Red Bull last season, improving to P2 would be a fantastic result for the Brackley outfit, especially as they give a rookie driver the chance to replace Ferrari-bound Lewis Hamilton.
“It was a really good result for us last week in Vegas,” Russell said. “Fortunately, we found the problem we had with the steering in qualifying and the race, so I’m glad we found that issue.
“Very good points for us and we’ve got a very good opportunity again this weekend. I think we have the upper hand over Ferrari, but of course Max is in form at the moment so we can’t take anything for granted.
“If you can’t win, I guess you choose to finish second. It’s not what I dreamed of as a kid, but it’s a great validation of all the hard work we’ve put in collectively. Formula 1 is highly competitive.
“McLaren have done a fantastic job this season and finishing P2, beating Ferrari and Red Bull would be a massive achievement for us as a team. We need to try to seal the deal in the next two races, and then of course our full focus is on 2026.”
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