Andrea Kimi Antonelli may have finished third at the Austrian Grand Prix, but the Mercedes driver left Spielberg believing the result could have been even better. Despite battling persistent brake issues throughout the race, the Formula 1 championship leader produced another impressive recovery drive and admitted he would have attacked Max Verstappen for second place if the opportunity had presented itself.
Kimi Antonelli charges through the field in Austria
Antonelli’s third-place finish does not tell the full story of his Austrian Grand Prix. Starting from fourth on the grid after Saturday’s dramatic qualifying session, the Italian driver displayed outstanding race pace as he fought wheel-to-wheel with his rivals before gradually closing the gap to teammate George Russell and second-placed Max Verstappen.
Although he surrendered 10 points to Russell in the Drivers’ Championship, Antonelli crossed the finish line knowing he had delivered another high-level performance. With a better starting position—or a few more laps—the final outcome might have looked very different.
Brake issues limited Antonelli’s pace
Speaking to Sky Sport F1 after the race, the Mercedes driver revealed that brake problems made life difficult almost from the opening lap.
“I really struggled with the brakes at the beginning,” Antonelli explained. “Actually, I struggled for almost the entire race. One side of the brakes was much hotter than the other, so the car kept pulling first to the right and then to the left under braking. The brake pedal was also very long. That made braking extremely difficult, I locked up several times and lost a lot of time because of it. It’s a shame because, without those issues, the final laps might have been very different.”
Confidence grew as the race progressed
Kimi Antonelli admitted that the opening stint was his most difficult phase of the race, but once the race unfolded he began to feel increasingly comfortable behind the wheel of the Mercedes.
“I struggled a lot during the first stint,” he added. “Then I felt much better in the second stint. In the third stint I think we were genuinely very fast, but unfortunately I arrived too late.” – te Italian pointed out.
Verstappen was still within reach
As Antonelli rapidly closed on Max Verstappen during the closing laps, many wondered whether the championship leader would have settled for third or attempted a bold move.
The Italian made it clear he never considered playing it safe.
“Did I think about the championship instead of attacking Verstappen? No, absolutely not. I would definitely have tried because I was right there. Even during the race I started out feeling a bit tense, but if I’d had the opportunity, I would certainly have tried to make the most of it,” Kimi Antonelli concluded at the end of the Austrian Grand Prix.
Despite missing out on second place, Kimi Antonelli’s determined drive further reinforced his status as one of the standout performers of the 2026 Formula 1 season, while maintaining a healthy lead at the top of the championship heading into Silverstone.
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