News Summary
- Andrea Kimi Antonelli said he nearly went off at Turn 5 after struggling on intermediate tyres in São Paulo qualifying.
- The Mercedes driver qualified third with a 1:28.095, 0.625s behind Lando Norris.
- George Russell’s five-place engine penalty moves Antonelli to second on the grid. The Italian says Saturday’s wet running will help if it rains again on Sunday.
Andrea Kimi Antonelli nearly went off at Turn 5 in his first wet session at Interlagos. He kept the Mercedes on track and qualified third for the São Paulo Grand Prix with a 1:28.095, 0.625s behind Lando Norris’s pole lap. That puts him on the front row once teammate George Russell’s penalty is applied.
“It was very tricky. To be fair, I didn’t really know what to expect. Obviously, I never drove here in the wet, so I didn’t know what was coming,” Antonelli told after qualifying.
“I struggled a little bit in the inters, to be fair, and did a big mistake, almost went off in Turn 5, but still was enough for P3, so happy with that.”
From a wet qualifying debut to the front row
Antonelli had been quickest in Friday’s second practice session and finished just 0.025s behind Max Verstappen in final practice. Qualifying brought his first experience of Interlagos in the wet. Heavy rain stopped Q1, and the field later moved from full wets to intermediates as the track improved. Antonelli was 10th in Q2, taking the final spot in the pole shootout.
Russell was second fastest in Q3, but his five-place penalty for an engine change means Antonelli will start alongside Norris in his first race since clinching the championship in Mexico City. Asked whether he could challenge Norris for the win, Antonelli said the weather would shape his approach.
“If it’s going to be wet, obviously, a lot more knowledge ahead of tomorrow,” he said. “Let’s see, because the weather is being very unpredictable, but as I said, we’ll try to be ready for anything.”
GRANDE PRÊMIO is following every session of the São Paulo Grand Prix in Formula 1 live from Interlagos.
