Kimi Antonelli reacts to P6 in Japan qualifying: “I was lost in free practice. Then I progressed well”. Mercedes rookie Andrea Kimi Antonelli secured an impressive sixth place in Japanese GP qualifying.

Many rookies have caught the eye during their first outings of the Formula 1 season, but the one facing the toughest task — both the burdens and honors, driving one of the benchmark cars — is Andrea Kimi Antonelli, who today managed to secure a strong qualifying result in the Japanese Grand Prix.

In sixth place, just two-tenths behind the much more experienced George Russell, the Bologna driver turned around a situation he himself described as difficult after the first three free practice sessions, securing a third-row position that can be considered golden. It should also be noted that Andrea was one of the debutants at Suzuka, a track he had never raced on before.

“I have to say I’m quite happy because in free practice I was completely lost and I came into qualifying with little confidence. But I’m happy with how I managed to progress throughout the session.”

Antonelli began Q3 with a set of Softs that had already been used in the second Q2 attempt. Not surprisingly, he didn’t go beyond the tenth fastest time. Then, once fitted with a new set of Softs for the final attempt, the Italian posted a time good enough to place him in the third row.

“The final lap I did in Q3 was far from perfect, but I can be happy, considering where I was in free practice.”

Forecasts suggest that tomorrow, on race day, rain will play a significant role both before the race — removing the rubber from the fresh asphalt — and during the event.

Antonelli has already shown his comfort on a wet track in Melbourne (for those who hadn’t followed him before his F1 debut), despite understandable mistakes for a rookie who had just a day and a half of pre-season testing before the start of the season.

That’s why the prospect of similar conditions at the Japanese Grand Prix, like those already experienced in Australia, excites the Bologna native.

“For now, we know it’s supposed to rain, it wouldn’t be bad… But let’s see. In the end, I still have a lot of work to do. Tonight, I will look at the data, also in preparation for tomorrow’s race. Then we’ll see what happens.”