Antonelli takes third on the grid as Mercedes endures its hardest Saturday of the season in Malaysia
Kimi Antonelli qualified fourth for the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia but will start third, while team-mate George Russell qualified eighth and starts seventh.
- 1:35.631
- 1:35.871
- P3
- P7
What Happened
Kimi Antonelli qualified fourth for the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia and will start third, while team-mate George Russell qualified eighth and starts seventh. Antonelli had to use an extra set of soft tyres in Q2 after his original time was deleted for exceeding track limits, and his single Q3 run brought him fourth place, which became third on the grid because of Isack Hadjar's engine penalty. Russell used two sets of soft tyres in Q3 and took eighth with his final attempt, moving up one place because of Red Bull's penalty. Both Mercedes drivers were in the leading group but could not threaten the fast Red Bull drivers in the fight for pole position.
A difficult day on which it was hard to gain an accurate picture of the car's performance.
Antonelli led the timesheet with 1:37.041 and Russell was fourth with 1:37.264.
Antonelli qualified P4 with 1:35.631 and Russell P8 with 1:35.871; the team could not repeat its practice pace when it mattered.
Mercedes expects heavy tyre degradation, several pit stops, strategic variety and a possible chance of rain.
- Antonelli P1, 1:37.041; Russell P4, 1:37.264
- Antonelli P4, 1:35.631; Russell P8, 1:35.871
- Antonelli P3; Russell P7
“We were strong in third practice, so it was a shame that we lost competitiveness in qualifying. The track here is unique because the asphalt is very aggressive and the conditions are incredibly hot, which makes it difficult to deliver the same performance consistently. I put myself under quite a lot of pressure in Q3 with only one new set of soft tyres, but I did my best. If we had had a second set of softs I think we could have fought for the front row, but I don't think we could have challenged Max for pole position — he seemed to have the fastest car all weekend and that was confirmed today. Third place is not a bad starting position all in all. Tyre degradation is likely to be very high, so it will probably be a race with several pit stops, and there is also the possibility of rain.”
“It was a fight today, which showed in our hardest Saturday of the year so far. It is very hot, the asphalt is aggressive and because of the low grip the lap times are several seconds slower than at our last race here in 2017. We had not expected such big difficulties here in Malaysia, and we will work hard to get to the bottom of the reasons. The race will probably be shaped by heavy tyre degradation, and the key to a successful Grand Prix will be keeping the tyres in good condition over a whole stint. Even though we still have ground to make up, we know overtaking is possible if you have the necessary speed.”
“This was our hardest Saturday of the season so far and we have to work through it intensively to understand the reasons. After the two days here in Sepang there is a lot to analyse. Given the tyre degradation we saw in practice, we are in unknown territory both in terms of race pace and strategy. It will probably be a Grand Prix in which all cars have to make several pit stops, which could offer opportunities. We know our race pace on Friday was not the best, so we hope the changes we have made to the car since then will help here, even if they did not give us an advantage today on a quick lap.”
Trackside Engineering Director Andrew Shovlin said the result was clearly disappointing compared with the team's expectations before the weekend, because the promising third-practice pace could not be delivered in qualifying. He said the team will analyse data tonight and in the coming days to understand why it fell back against its rivals. With the circuit placing enormous demands on the tyres and very high degradation expected, he said strategy, tyre management and operational execution will be decisive, and that both drivers are in positions from which they can fight for solid results. Multiple pit stops and numerous strategic variations, he added, give Mercedes a chance to make up places if it shows reasonable pace.
Previously from Mercedes-Benz
Formula 1 returned to Sepang after nine years, and Mercedes ended the first day of the Bahrain Grand Prix weekend in Malaysia seventh and eighth. Its new upgrade package brought overheating tyres rather than the expected lap-time gain, leaving the team struggling for pace on the opening day.
Background drawn from MotorClaw's earlier coverage of Mercedes-Benz's official releases.
Why this matters
Mercedes calls this its hardest Saturday of the year, a setback for a team trying to fight at the front of the grid. Both drivers still line up in the top ten, so points remain possible, but the team expects tyre degradation and strategy rather than qualifying pace to shape their race.
Terms in This Story
- Pole position
- First place on the starting grid, awarded to the fastest driver in qualifying.
- Q1, Q2, Q3
- The three knockout stages of qualifying: the slowest cars are eliminated after Q1 and Q2, and the remaining drivers fight for pole position in Q3.
- Soft tyre
- The softest compound available at a race, giving the most grip and fastest lap times but wearing out quickest.
- Tyre degradation
- The loss of grip and performance in a tyre over a run of laps, which can force drivers to make extra pit stops.
Summarised from the linked release; details can be imperfect — always verify against the original source.