Antonelli qualifies fourth for Singapore GP as Russell faces back-of-field start after penalty
Kimi Antonelli will start the Singapore Grand Prix from fourth after missing pole by 0.189 seconds, while team-mate George Russell drops to the back of the grid with a power-unit penalty.
- 0.189 seconds
- 1:31.562
- 1:31.747
- P4 from P7 on the grid
What Happened
Rain arrived shortly before the start of Saturday's sprint, but George Russell made a strong getaway and took the lead from Max Verstappen in Turn 1. He was still leading at the end of the first lap when he ran onto the white line at Turn 19, lost traction and hit the wall, ending his race. Kimi Antonelli held his starting position but was stuck in a group, and with the overtaking mode deactivated because of low grip he had no way to launch a passing attempt. He moved up to fourth when the two McLaren drivers collided near the end of the race. Trackside Engineering Director Andrew Shovlin said Russell had looked like a contender for the win, given how strong his long-run pace had been in the first practice session.
Before qualifying, the team made several setup changes to Antonelli's car to get more out of the new update package, and they appeared to have the desired effect. Antonelli missed pole position by just 0.189 seconds and qualified fourth even though he had to abort his final lap, while Russell had similar problems on his last attempt but his first lap was enough for sixth. Russell will start Sunday's race from the back of the field because of a grid penalty for using more power-unit components than allowed. Shovlin said Mercedes ran two different specifications on its two cars in Singapore to learn more about the new update, and that Russell was less happy with his car's handling than on Friday even though the setup had not changed. Team principal and CEO Toto Wolff said the team found promising approaches overnight to fix some of the balance challenges seen in Malaysia and on Friday, and called it encouraging that Mercedes is only a few tenths of a second from pole.
- Antonelli: started P7, finished P4. Russell: started P2, retired after leading
- Antonelli P4, 1:31.562. Russell P6, 1:31.747
- Antonelli P4. Russell starts from the back of the field after a power-unit grid penalty
“We evaluated Friday's data and thought about some ideas for how we could improve our pace with the update for the sprint. We tried a few things that helped and pointed us in a good direction for qualifying. That made the car better, which was very encouraging for all of us. The team did a really good job and our understanding of the overall package has expanded significantly. In the end we qualified fourth, but I believe there was still more lap time in it. The window in which this update seems to work is narrower than with the previous specification. We are working hard to find the right balance and exploit the full potential; the car definitely reacts differently from the previous package. Hopefully we can have a good race, look forward and get involved in the fight for the podium.”
“First of all I want to thank the team very much for the hard work they did today to get my car back in shape after the crash in the sprint. It was my mistake: in the last corner I went too far to the outside, got onto the white line and lost traction. I misjudged the situation, so that one is on me. On the formation lap I felt good, went into the lead and attacked fully. I simply pushed too much too early, which led to our retirement. After the rebuild our main focus in qualifying was to make sure the car's handling was okay, and then we concentrated on what insights we could gain from the two cars. The balance did not feel quite as good as on Friday, which probably explains the pace we were missing this evening. Starting from the back of the field is not ideal here; it will be very hard to overtake and fight my way forward, but I will give my best tomorrow.”
“It was a complicated day, but it helped us as a team in many ways. Here in Singapore we tested two different specifications on our two cars, mainly to learn more about the new update and make sure it works as expected. Overnight we found some promising approaches, and the team did a good job solving some of the balance challenges we saw in Malaysia and also yesterday. It is encouraging that we are only a few tenths of a second away from pole position, and we know more is possible. Unfortunately George got onto the white line in the last corner; that can happen in the wet, especially when you are leading and have to face the conditions first. The mechanics did an incredible job to get the car ready to run again, which helped us continue our comparison work in qualifying. Since Kimi starts fourth and George from the very back, we know we have to do damage limitation tomorrow.”
0.189seconds
Antonelli missed pole by this margin despite having to abort his final lap.
Previously from Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes came into the Singapore weekend off the back of the Malaysian Grand Prix. There, Kimi Antonelli held on for second place, while a suspected power unit problem ended George Russell's race five laps from the finish and denied the team a double podium.
Background drawn from MotorClaw's earlier coverage of Mercedes-Benz's official releases.
Why this matters
Mercedes goes into Sunday's Singapore Grand Prix with its two cars in very different positions: Antonelli starts fourth and near the front, while Russell must climb from the back after a power-unit penalty. It matters for the team's points haul at a track where overtaking is difficult, and for its ongoing evaluation of the new update package fitted to Antonelli's car.
Terms in This Story
- Sprint
- A short-format race held on the Saturday of some Formula 1 weekends, before the main Grand Prix on Sunday.
- Power unit
- The engine and hybrid energy-recovery components that power a Formula 1 car; using more than the permitted number of components triggers a grid penalty.
- Intermediate tyres (Inter)
- Tyres designed for a damp or drying track, sitting between full wet tyres and dry-condition slick tyres.
- Traction
- The grip that lets a car put its power down without the wheels spinning or sliding.
Summarised from the linked release; details can be imperfect — always verify against the original source.