Summary
- Antonelli qualified fourth at Sepang and is provisionally promoted to third by Hadjar’s penalty.
- A track-limits infringement forced him to use another fresh set of soft tyres in Q2.
- The championship leader acknowledged Verstappen’s pace advantage but remains ready to fight for victory.
Kimi Antonelli believes his Sepang qualifying result could have been much worse after a track limits mistake forced him to use an additional set of soft tyres in Q2. The championship leader finished fourth for Mercedes but is set to start third in the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia following Isack Hadjar’s penalty.
Antonelli recorded 1:35.631, finishing 0.501s behind pole-sitter Max Verstappen. Having topped final practice earlier on Saturday, the Italian entered qualifying with encouraging pace, but his deleted Q2 lap complicated the final stages of the session.
Speaking after Formula 1 qualifying at Sepang, Antonelli acknowledged the setback while taking satisfaction from avoiding a more damaging outcome.
“All in all, we have to be happy because it could have been much worse. We’ll focus on tomorrow,” Antonelli said.
How the Q2 mistake compromised Antonelli’s final attempt
Antonelli’s first Q2 flying lap was deleted for exceeding track limits at Turn 6. He therefore needed another competitive lap to secure his place in the final segment, using a further set of fresh soft tyres.
That decision allowed him to progress but left only one new soft set for Q3. Instead of having two attempts on fresh tyres, Antonelli went out for his decisive run after his rivals had completed their opening efforts.
The timing mattered because the track was cooling as qualifying progressed. With a single fresh set available, he had less opportunity to assess the changing conditions and then improve on a second attempt.
Antonelli believed a cleaner session could have produced a higher qualifying position.
“With a clean qualifying, maybe P2, P3,” he said.
Verstappen ultimately took pole ahead of Lewis Hamilton and Hadjar. Antonelli finished fourth, with Charles Leclerc fifth, as shown in the full Sepang qualifying classification.
Hadjar’s penalty moves Antonelli onto the second row
Hadjar’s five-place grid penalty provisionally promotes Antonelli to third, putting the Mercedes driver directly behind Verstappen and Hamilton. Leclerc moves forward to fourth, while Antonelli’s championship rival George Russell is projected to start seventh.
The changes give Antonelli a stronger starting position than his qualifying result initially suggested. The complete order is available in the projected Sepang grid after the Hadjar, Colapinto and Lindblad penalties.
However, Antonelli recognised that gaining a grid position does not remove the challenge posed by Red Bull’s pace. His assessment after qualifying was that Verstappen remained the benchmark for Sunday.
“Max still has the edge on pace. If we can win, we’ll go for it,” he said.
Mercedes faces a different picture from final practice
Antonelli had led FP3 by 0.278s over Verstappen and 0.610s over Russell, creating a more promising picture for Mercedes before qualifying. The final session reversed that order, with Red Bull and Ferrari occupying the leading positions.
For Antonelli, the immediate task is to convert his second-row start into a strong race result after a qualifying session that required recovery from his own mistake. Tyre management will be central at Sepang, where the heat and abrasive surface have complicated the weekend.
Sunday’s race begins at 15:00 Malaysia time, equivalent to 08:00 BST in the UK, 03:00 EDT in New York and Toronto, 12:30 IST in India and 18:00 AEDT in Sydney and Melbourne.
Formula 1 continues this weekend, from 2–4 October, in Malaysia, which hosts the Bahrain Grand Prix. GRANDE PRÊMIO will cover all the action at Sepang.
F1 today: FAQ
What time is F1 qualifying at Sepang?
Qualifying starts on Saturday, 3 October, at 16:00 Malaysia time. That is 09:00 BST in the UK, 04:00 EDT in New York and Toronto, 01:00 PDT in Los Angeles and Vancouver, 13:30 IST in India and 18:00 AEST in Sydney.
Did Lewis Hamilton receive a grid penalty for the Bortoleto incident?
No. Hamilton received a warning after impeding Gabriel Bortoleto during FP2 at Sepang. Ferrari was fined €10,000, but Hamilton will not lose grid positions over the incident.
Why were F1 lap times at Sepang over four seconds slower than expected?
Pirelli identified low grip, dust and an abrasive surface that increased tyre sliding and degradation. Friday’s benchmark was more than four seconds slower than its qualifying simulation reference, rather than four seconds slower than the 2017 race weekend.
