Formula 1 had a decisive qualifying session at the Japanese GP, and Kimi Antonelli secured pole position after following a simple instruction from his team. According to Toto Wolff, the order received by the young driver was crucial for the result in Suzuka.
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The Italian secured his second pole of the season by beating teammate George Russell with a 0s298 advantage during the early laps of Q3. The strategy adopted by Mercedes proved to be decisive in a session marked by few improvements at the end.
According to the German team principal, the guidance from Peter Bonnington, Antonelli’s race engineer, was direct. “When you listen to the radio communications, you realize he wasn’t putting himself under too much pressure,” Wolff stated.
The executive explained that the initial focus was to ensure a safe lap. “Bono asked him to do a banker lap. And that first attempt was very good,” he highlighted.
Subsequently, Antonelli tried to push the pace even further on his final lap, but without success. Still, as most competitors failed to improve their final times, the first attempt ended up being enough to secure pole.
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The result also had historical weight. The pole in Suzuka marked the 50th time an Italian driver starts from the front in Formula 1, in addition to representing Mercedes’ first pole at the Japanese circuit since 2018.
Antonelli himself celebrated the consistent performance throughout the session. “I am very happy with qualifying. It was a good, clean session, and I felt very comfortable with the car,” he stated.
The driver highlighted that the constant evolution during the weekend was essential for the result. “Everyone was improving, but we managed to put in a good lap, so I’m satisfied. Now the focus is on the race,” he added.
With Antonelli on pole and Russell alongside him, Mercedes starts in a privileged position for the race in Suzuka, consolidating a strong weekend so far for the German team in Formula 1.
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