Great performance by Kimi Antonelli, who will start from fourth on the grid in the Canadian Grand Prix. In post-qualifying interviews, the Mercedes driver shared his thoughts on the session.
Kimi Antonelli finally rediscovered his rhythm during qualifying for the Canadian Grand Prix, managing to secure a fantastic fourth-fastest time. Despite finding pace again after the trio of European races—where he had to deal with technical issues and a dose of bad luck—the pole position went to his teammate George Russell, who managed to edge out Max Verstappen in the final Q3 attempt. Max Verstappen will start from second place. Completing Saturday’s “podium” is Oscar Piastri, once again outperforming his teammate Lando Norris, who will start from seventh. Behind the Italian driver will be Charles Leclerc, who made a mistake during his final Q3 attempt, while Lewis Hamilton will line up eighth.
One mistake too many?
The decision to fit the yellow tyres for his main stint—after struggling again all weekend with the C6—earned Antonelli a fantastic fourth place. Despite finding renewed pace, the driver didn’t seem entirely satisfied with his performance.
“With the yellow tyre I definitely felt better compared to the C6, even though this weekend I actually felt a bit more comfortable with the C6 than usual,” Kimi Antonelli told Sky. “It was a shame to have the used tyre for the final attempt, and that certainly didn’t help… but then I also lost the car: I made a big mistake at Turn 10… probably lost two or three tenths.
“It’s a bit of a shame because, even with the used tyre, I could have been up there—maybe in the top three. But fourth place is definitely a good starting position for tomorrow.
“I’m definitely making progress and getting closer to George. I just need a bit more experience and to be able to find the rhythm right away. Taking pole would’ve been very difficult anyway—George did a great lap… though I think P3 was possible.”
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