Kimi Antonelli had a better outcome than expected in the qualifying session for the Formula 1 Australian GP this Saturday (7). In Melbourne, the driver managed to recover from the accident in FP3 and will start from second position on the grid.
Read more F1: Alpine fined after pit lane incident
The young Italian’s participation in qualifying was an unknown due to the heavy accident he suffered at the end of the third free practice. Going off with 12 minutes to go, he hit the barrier hard, significantly damaging the W17.
But the Mercedes mechanics raced against time and not only managed to get the car ready, but Antonelli also managed to extract the maximum to secure an all-team front row at Albert Park, as George Russell starts from pole position.
Read more F1: Verstappen, Sainz and Stroll receive authorization to participate in the Australian GP
“I clearly like to make things complicated. We were on the back foot after my accident in FP3, but today, the heroes are the mechanics and everyone in the garage. I am very grateful to them for fixing my car in time for qualifying. We had so little time that we couldn’t even set up the car properly, but even so, they gave me a fast car that allowed us to secure the front row,” he said.
“Now we have the chance to fight for a good result tomorrow. There are no points at stake on Saturday, and it will be a long Grand Prix with these new cars. It’s only the first race of the year and there are still many unknowns and things that can get in our way. We will need to do a good job tomorrow to turn this positive result into a good score. I’m excited about the challenge and to start the season the right way,” he concluded.
Read more F1: Leclerc recognizes Mercedes’ superiority and downplays advantage at starts
