Andrea Kimi Antonelli completed the Singapore Grand Prix in fifth place, confirming the strong form he had already shown two weeks earlier in Baku. The result, however, could have been even better without two mistakes driven by youthful enthusiasm between qualifying and the race start.
Instinct, especially at 19 years old, is a trait that often takes over in certain moments of the day. Antonelli knows this well, as he experienced during an excellent weekend at Marina Bay, where he finished in fifth place.
For the young Bolognese driver, this was another solid result after his performance in Baku, on circuits that leave no room for even the smallest error. This makes Antonelli’s achievement all the more impressive, showing his ability to respond effectively during the challenging middle part of the season.
However, the fifth-place finish was not without its youthful blemishes—instinct-driven errors. Antonelli could have aimed for even higher positions in qualifying and the race but made two mistakes where enthusiasm and the desire to excel pushed him beyond the limits of his W16.
The first and decisive mistake occurred in qualifying. After strong Q1 and Q2 sessions, Antonelli tried to extract extra performance in Q3 that was, in fact, unnecessary. He ended up overdriving, pushing the car beyond what it could handle, and found himself in fourth place—behind where he had expected to be.
“The pace was definitely strong, and qualifying sessions were improving all the time,” Antonelli commented after the race, having qualified ahead of or within two-tenths of Russell in the previous three rounds.
“I was a bit disappointed with qualifying because I felt I had overdriven. If I had controlled myself a little more and focused on clean laps, it would have been a different story. I would have started further up and today’s race might have been different.”
During the race, after the start, he found himself behind one of the two championship contenders: Lando Norris. Instead of seeking the best trajectory for himself and a gap to exploit, Antonelli tried to follow the British driver, becoming stuck behind the MCL39 number 4. At that point, Charles Leclerc, who was behind him, overtook Antonelli, dropping him another position.
“My mistake in turn 1 was trying to stay behind Norris,” Kimi Antonelli admitted. “Then I found myself too far inside, and Leclerc had a much better line on the outside. It was a shame, but the race pace was really strong. That is a positive aspect, and we will aim to carry it forward into the next races.”
Kimi Antonelli eventually managed to overtake Leclerc, slipping inside at turn 16 on lap 53, braking hard to complete the maneuver.
“With the tires, he started to struggle,” the Italian recounted. “He was pushing hard, so I tried to play the long game, saving the tires and waiting for the right moment to attack.”
“When we approached backmarkers, I knew it was the right time because he was in clean air and I was in dirty air, but I could still stay close. I knew he would start to have difficulties once he was also in traffic. So the timing was perfect.”
The overtake, aside from issues related to Charles Leclerc’s SF-25, once again highlighted Antonelli’s talent, which must be nurtured. When he fully blossoms, only a few drivers will be on his level. Excellent timing, precise execution, and race awareness are all key qualities in a high-level driver’s skill set.
Most importantly, learning from mistakes will be crucial: if he manages to understand and avoid repeating the errors from last weekend, he can make significant progress from the next race onward. The performances in Baku and Singapore are encouraging signs for the latter part of his debut Formula 1 season.
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