Andrea Kimi Antonelli will start from ninth on the grid at the Austrian GP after narrowly missing the chance to complete his final qualifying lap. A timing miscalculation in the pits and the resulting traffic, with Mercedes failing to update its data in real-time, caused him to take the chequered flag just one second too late, denying him a top-six position he believed was within reach.
The Italian driver will line up only ninth, a result that leaves a bitter taste, as he was unable to attempt a final lap due to catching the flag with just a second to spare. A frustrating end to a session where a place in the third row looked possible.
So far, the Austrian weekend hasn’t offered many positives for Mercedes, not even in qualifying, where the team had surprised on other occasions this season. This is unexpected, especially considering that the W16 was expected to be more competitive over a single lap. Instead, the car has shown more promise in race trim.
Already on Friday, both drivers had voiced concerns, pointing to limitations with the car. Despite relatively cool track temperatures—below 40°C—the W16 showed clear weaknesses, particularly in the second half of the lap. In contrast, it held up better in the early part of the circuit, with heavy braking zones and traction areas.
In many ways, the Red Bull Ring isn’t an ideal track for the Anglo-German car: the asphalt is much more abrasive than in places like Canada, and the long corners place serious stress on the tyres. A similar situation was seen in Jeddah and Imola, where the W16 performed well in qualifying but struggled in the race.
Between Friday and Saturday, the team worked to identify key areas to improve, knowing that track temperatures could reach nearly 50°C. However, the main issues remained, especially in Sector 3, where both Mercedes drivers struggled to carry speed through Turn 9—a corner that demands strong stability.
This highlights Mercedes’ difficulties. Yet Antonelli was left frustrated, convinced that a final lap on fresh tyres would have allowed him to unlock the potential for a third-row start—especially with Max Verstappen unable to finish his own lap due to a yellow flag.
“First of all, I missed the flag, so I couldn’t do my last lap on new tyres, which is a shame because I was still pushing. I thought I had enough time and was improving. It’s really disappointing not to finish the last attempt. But it wasn’t easy today—it was quite tricky to put a lap together. Something didn’t feel completely right,” Antonelli said.
“We definitely struggled more than usual at this track. It was clear on Friday that there was work to do. The wind also changed a lot compared to yesterday and that affected us significantly. It put us in a tougher position. But overall, I think getting into the top six was possible, especially if I had completed that final lap.”
So why couldn’t Kimi Antonelli complete his final run? As explained, he caught the flag by a matter of seconds. But to fully understand the situation, we need to look back at the moment he exited the pit lane, almost simultaneously with teammate George Russell.
Despite exiting nearly together, Russell managed to cross the line with about a minute remaining on the clock, unlike Antonelli. That key difference came down to on-track incidents and some inaccurate timing estimates from the Mercedes pit wall.
“I think I left the garage a bit late because I engaged first gear slightly too slowly, so I lost my spot. Then I was in line, and a Sauber forced its way in—not really fair. I ended up in a really bad position because I had to take the gap,” Antonelli explained.
Indeed, Kimi Antonelli exited with a slight delay, but those few moments had major consequences. The mechanics had to briefly stop him to allow other cars to pass—specifically the two McLarens and the two Ferraris. Their garages are farther from Mercedes’, so the team had enough time to monitor the situation.
In the battle for optimal track position—avoiding traffic and making the most of track conditions—every second counts. Antonelli had to wait for the entire group to pass, including Gabriel Bortoleto, who found a space in the pit lane, costing the Italian even more time.
Kimi Antonelli exited Turn 1 from the pit lane with around one minute and twenty seconds on the clock—just enough time to start a flying lap, though right on the limit, especially considering the need to prepare the tyres properly without overheating them.
To make matters worse, he had to slow down to let faster cars through that had already started their laps, losing more precious seconds. In the end, this delay proved fatal. Mercedes never instructed him to speed up. The team clearly operated on tight margins but failed to account for enough buffer time.
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