F1 Austin GP – Kimi Antonelli disappointed after Friday at COTA: “We had the pace to fight for the top five”. Andrea Kimi Antonelli was disappointed after being eliminated in SQ2 at Austin.

It was a difficult Sprint Qualifying session for Andrea Kimi Antonelli, who failed to make it out of SQ2 but remains hopeful for the rest of the weekend thanks to Mercedes’ strong race pace. The young Italian finished only 11th in Friday’s Shootout at the Circuit of the Americas, missing out on the top ten by a narrow margin.

During the single free practice session at COTA, the Mercedes drivers focused on longer runs using the hard and medium tyres, aiming to optimize the car’s race pace rather than its one-lap performance. This approach showed its limits in qualifying: despite George Russell managing to reach SQ3, Nico Hülkenberg finished ahead of both Mercedes drivers, underlining the team’s ongoing struggles on this circuit.

Antonelli frustrated but confident in the car’s potential

Kimi Antonelli admitted his frustration at being knocked out in SQ2, explaining that two costly lock-ups during his final lap denied him access to the next round. Despite the setback, he remained optimistic, highlighting the team’s encouraging long-run pace from FP1 as a positive sign for both the Sprint and the main race on Sunday.

“It’s disappointing to be eliminated in SQ2, especially with such a small margin. I felt good in the car during SQ1, and it only took one lap to go through,” said Kimi Antonelli. “But I had two big lock-ups on my last lap in SQ2, and that really cost me.”

He continued: “We definitely had the pace to make it into SQ3 and fight for the top five, so it’s frustrating. We’ll reset tonight, push hard in the Sprint, and then try to have a better qualifying session tomorrow afternoon.”

Focus shifts to race pace for the weekend

When speaking about his expectations for the remainder of the weekend, the Italian emphasized that the team’s focus remains on race pace — an area that looked promising during Friday’s practice session.

“Our long-run pace in FP1 was more encouraging than the one-lap performance,” Kimi Antonelli explained. “We hope that’s a good sign for Sunday. But we also know that we won’t be able to show it if we don’t start from the front. We’ll work hard to improve the car ahead of qualifying, using the Sprint to consolidate what we’ve learned.”

The 19-year-old concluded with determination: “We’ll do our best to deliver a stronger session than the one we just had.”