Kimi Antonelli thought he had done what was necessary to secure pole in Madrid. Lando Norris ultimately beat him by just 11 thousandths.
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Kimi Antonelli missed out on another pole position this season by 11 thousandths. The Mercedes driver had put in an excellent final lap in Q3 and thought he had done enough to start at the front of the Spanish Grand Prix. But Lando Norris, one of the last drivers to cross the line, snatched first place from him at the very last moment.
A significant disappointment for the Italian, who had dominated FP2 and FP3 and appeared as one of the main favorites for qualifying. Antonelli prefers to focus on his performance and especially his ideal position relative to his main championship rivals.
“He simply snatched it from me”
The battle for pole was decided in the very last seconds on the Madring. After a first attempt dominated by Lewis Hamilton, Antonelli significantly raised the pace on his final lap to set a time of 1’31″835.
Hamilton failed to respond and everything seemed to indicate that the young Italian would start on pole. However, Norris still had one lap to complete. The Briton ultimately crossed the line in 1’31″824, just 0″011 better than the Mercedes.
“I thought it was a good lap, but this guy [Norris] came and simply snatched it from me. So congratulations to them and to McLaren.”
Antonelli does not hide that this session was particularly tough. The intense heat on the Madring complicated finding the right balance and made it difficult to string together a perfectly clean lap.
“For my part, qualifying was very intense. It was difficult to find the right balance with such a hot track, but my lap was quite clean.”
A particularly difficult track to master
The new Madrid circuit has already caught out several drivers since the start of the weekend. Its 22 corners, very close walls, and significant grip variations demand great precision, especially when track temperatures rise.
Antonelli acknowledges that putting together all sectors of a single lap was far from easy. Despite the 11 thousandths that ultimately cost him pole, the championship leader believes Mercedes executed their session well.
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“Obviously, it’s not easy to put everything together on a circuit like this, which is quite tricky. But overall, I think we did a good job.”
Second place can indeed leave some regrets after being so close to pole, but it puts Antonelli in an excellent position for Sunday’s race.
Antonelli makes an excellent move in the championship
While Norris took first place from him, Antonelli’s main championship rivals will start further back. Lewis Hamilton only managed fourth place, while George Russell set the sixth-best time.
This situation could allow the Italian to further increase his championship lead. After his victory in Monza, Antonelli already has 66 points ahead of Russell, his teammate and closest pursuer.
The stakes will be even higher on Sunday as track position is expected to play a major role. Overtaking opportunities are said to be limited on the Madring, which could give great importance to the start and strategic choices during the 57 laps of the race.
Norris, the main obstacle at the start
Antonelli will, however, first have to find a solution against Norris. The McLaren driver himself admitted to having produced one of the best laps of his career to snatch this pole and will have the advantage of the front position at the start.
The Mercedes driver will still be able to try to take advantage of the long approach to the first corner to immediately put his rival under pressure. With Hamilton and Russell several positions behind him, Antonelli can also approach the race with a particularly favorable situation for the championship.
“Overall, I think we did a good job and now we will try to see what we can achieve tomorrow.”
By just 11 thousandths, Antonelli let slip a pole that seemed his. But on a track where overtaking looks difficult, his second place still offers an excellent opportunity to continue his streak and further consolidate his championship lead.
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