Andrea Kimi Antonelli claimed a spot on the front row at the São Paulo Grand Prix Sprint after a solid qualifying performance, despite a close call in SQ1 that nearly saw him eliminated. The Mercedes driver delivered a composed lap, managing to extract performance even though the W16 struggled on the straights and the soft tyres were difficult to warm up. His goal for the Sprint is clear: to bring home points, but he admitted he is not afraid to dream of something greater.
Antonelli’s first pole position came earlier this year in Miami, also during a Sprint weekend. Six months later, the young Italian is back near the front once again—this time narrowly missing pole by less than a tenth of a second. Nevertheless, securing a front-row start represents a huge achievement for the 18-year-old and a sign of how far he has come this season.
Qualifying has not always been Antonelli’s strongest area, as he tends to shine more in race conditions. But this weekend started on the right foot, even if his SQ1 session looked complicated at first. He struggled to put together a clean lap due to traffic on the short, twisty Interlagos circuit and only just managed to scrape through to SQ2 in the final available spot. From there, however, the session turned around completely, ending with one of his best qualifying results in Formula 1 so far.
It is, of course, only the beginning of a long weekend ahead, with unpredictable weather conditions that could turn things upside down. Still, Antonelli’s strong performance provides Mercedes with a valuable boost in their battle for second place in the Constructors’ Championship against Ferrari and Red Bull. The young Italian continues to prove that the new generation of drivers can perform at a high level even on tracks they have never raced before.
Antonelli had shown similar adaptability earlier in the season, such as in Singapore, where only a minor mistake cost him a potential front-row start. This time in Brazil, however, he delivered a near-perfect lap, earning his well-deserved second place. Speaking to Sky after qualifying, he explained: “Sometimes I wonder why, but I think when it’s a new track you don’t have expectations—you just focus on driving your best and finding the rhythm quickly. That definitely helps. I have to say that on every new circuit this year, I’ve felt really comfortable.”
Ironically, Kimi Antonelli’s best results this season—including his first podium in Canada—have come at circuits that were new to him. His most difficult period came during the European rounds, where Mercedes struggled with updates that didn’t deliver as expected. Those events, held on tracks Antonelli already knew from junior categories, ended up being less rewarding than the ones where he had to learn from scratch.
Reflecting on his qualifying performance, Antonelli noted that there was still more potential to unlock. He pointed out that the soft tyre’s warm-up phase wasn’t ideal, which compromised his confidence in the early corners. Most of his time loss to McLaren came in the first sector and along the main straight, where the MCL39’s lower-downforce setup gave Lando Norris a small but crucial advantage of about 3 to 4 km/h.
Even so, Kimi Antonelli was pleased with his session overall: “Yes, I think it was a good session. Q1 was a bit chaotic with the traffic, but we managed to find our rhythm and in Q3 we put together a strong lap in the end.” He admitted that the soft compound didn’t deliver the final bit of grip they expected: “The soft didn’t work as we hoped, and with the cooler track temperatures, the warm-up was tricky. The feeling was a bit strange; when I started the lap, I felt less grip compared to the out-lap, and even during the lap the tyres didn’t feel great. We’ll have to check tomorrow with different temperatures and understand why the tyre didn’t behave as we wanted.”
Attention now turns to Saturday’s Sprint, which could be affected by rain. The start will be crucial, especially given that last year Lando Norris lost the lead to George Russell into turn 1. If the race is run in wet conditions, several unknowns could come into play, including tyre temperature and visibility. McLaren has shown excellent tyre management on a drying track, meaning Mercedes will need to be sharp with strategy and positioning.
Kimi Antonelli recalled his earlier experience at Miami, where he was pushed wide at turn 1, and noted that the stewards have often been lenient during opening-lap battles. “We’ve seen in many races that in turn 1, on the first lap, you can go a bit wide and nothing happens. So I’ll try to make a good start and fight hard. The goal is to score important points for the Constructors’ fight, but if I’m side by side, I’ll definitely try to come out of the chicane first.”
As the Sprint approaches, Kimi Antonelli’s confidence continues to grow. His ability to adapt quickly and deliver under pressure is becoming one of his trademarks, and with Mercedes improving steadily, a strong result on Saturday could be another milestone in the Italian’s impressive rookie season.
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