In a surprising turn, Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari secured third place on the grid, while George Russell had to settle for the second row. Meanwhile, Kimi Antonelli still struggled on his flying lap. Will he manage to shine during the race?
GP USA 2025 – Qualifying: Mercedes aims to protect Constructors’ Championship lead
After the Sprint Race, which saw Max Verstappen triumph ahead of Mercedes driver George Russell, the Anglo-German team had a single objective: to secure two solid grid positions to keep both George Russell and Kimi Antonelli in touch with the top teams. This strategy is crucial to consolidating Mercedes’ second place in the Constructors’ Championship, just ahead of Ferrari.
During Q1, the Silver Arrows left the pit lane and completed the required laps to qualify for the second session without any notable issues. In Q2, the session proceeded smoothly as well, with both cars making it to Q3. However, in the final moments of qualifying, the W16s showed a slight drop in pace—possibly influenced by the unexpectedly strong performance of Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton—ending the session in the second and fourth rows.
George Russell posted a lap time of 1:32.826, while Kimi Antonelli recorded 1:33.114. The current Drivers’ Championship standings see Antonelli at 89 points and Russell at 244, but Mercedes remains fully focused on the Constructors’ Championship, leading Ferrari by 26 points. In the American weekend, avoiding mistakes and staying clear of trouble will be crucial. If Ferrari confirms their pace in the race, Mercedes could face a challenging result.
GP USA Qualifying – George Russell’s perspective
George Russell expressed partial satisfaction with his qualifying performance, noting that while his lap was good, it was frustrating to end so close to the front row. He added that being two positions further up would have been beneficial, but everyone on the grid is performing closely, and every driver believes they can push harder. Despite this, he feels confident he extracted the maximum from the W16 in the final seconds of qualifying.
The upcoming race promises plenty of excitement, especially with the battle between Oscar Piastri, Lando Norris, and Max Verstappen, but Ferrari could also pose a significant challenge to Mercedes. Weather conditions are expected to play a role, with clear skies and high temperatures potentially testing the Silver Arrows.
Russell highlighted that in the USA, the weather factor will be key during the race. He acknowledged that McLaren and Verstappen’s Red Bull are likely favorites at the front, but Mercedes can still aim for a podium finish to defend their second place in the Constructors’ standings. He expressed his eagerness for the race to begin.
GP USA 2025 – Mercedes qualifying: Kimi Antonelli continues to struggle but starts from fourth row
Kimi Antonelli spoke to F1 media with clear frustration, aware that his qualifying performance did not reflect the full potential of the W16. He admitted he would have liked to achieve a better starting position than seventh and lamented that the car’s potential was not fully unleashed in Q3. He believed reaching fifth place on the grid would have been possible without major difficulties.
Regarding the changing weather conditions, the Mercedes rookie explained that varying conditions across sessions made it harder to find optimal car balance, and the team will need to work on this aspect for improvement.
Antonelli continued, noting that he is looking forward to the race and hopes to achieve a more satisfying result. He also emphasized that weather conditions could affect car balance during the race, and that when pushing for a fast lap, potential race uncertainties were taken into account to avoid compromising performance. Finally, he concluded that the race pace appears to be strong, and he hopes to capitalize on it to gain several positions during the race.
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