Against all odds, Andrea Kimi Antonelli left the Hungarian GP on Sunday (26) with an even larger lead in the Drivers’ World Championship. The Italian was full of praise for Mercedes’ strategy, as the team tried something different from their main rivals to carve through the field and ultimately secure a crucial podium in Budapest.

After starting seventh, the 19-year-old capitalized on a poor getaway by George Russell to jump into sixth and trail the lead pack. The turning point came when the top five made their first pit stops: the #12 stayed out on track, eventually inheriting the lead. In the end, while he didn’t take the win, he secured an excellent third-place finish behind only Lando Norris and Max Verstappen.

“It was a tough race. Overtaking was really difficult, so we had to do something different with the strategy. Initially, we tried to make a one-stop work, but then the team warned me that tire wear was right on the limit, so we pitted,” Antonelli began in his post-race interview.

“When the Virtual Safety Car came out, both Ferraris pitted. I knew it would be really tough because I was on the hard compound while they were on softs, but fortunately, we managed to keep them behind,” he added. “Of course, I’m very happy, and this is the best way to head into the summer break. We managed to limit the damage very well today, but we need to keep pushing because the second half of the season will be tough. Still, we will give it our absolute best,” he concluded.

Formula 1 now enters the summer break. The 2026 season resumes from August 21–23 with the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort.