F1 / NEWS & CONTEXT

Antonelli says Verstappen was too quick after fourth place in qualifying

The Mercedes driver says even a stronger final lap might only have lifted him to second or third after a disrupted qualifying session.

GPBeat · Newsroom03 Oct 2026, 13:14 · 1 min

Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli qualified fourth despite setting the fastest time in final practice. A lap was deleted for exceeding track limits in Q2, and he had only one attempt in Q3.

Speaking to Viaplay in remarks reported by RacingNews365 on 3 October, Antonelli said Max Verstappen had been too quick in qualifying. He reckoned that even an excellent final lap would have put him no higher than second or third. Antonelli said having just one attempt added pressure, while going out on an empty track meant missing the extra grip he would normally expect later in the session.

Antonelli also said Mercedes needed more time to understand its car on the rough, warm track. He hoped the team would have a clearer picture in Singapore, where he expected better asphalt conditions.

Sources 01

SOURCEAntonelli erkent superioriteit Verstappen: "Hij was gewoon te snel"RacingNews365 Nederland · Source date as found: 2026-10-03

Source context

RacingNews365’s report refers to Malaysia in its text but carries a Bahrain Grand Prix event label.

Claims and supporting evidence 4

RacingNews365 reports that Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli was fastest in the third practice session, lost a Q2 lap to track limits, had only one attempt in Q3 and qualified fourth.

This source finding must be read within the stated scope and source context. Qualifying circumstances as reported by RacingNews365 The qualifying session discussed in the 3 October 2026 report The retrieved article is the sole account supplied. Its conflicting event labels do not affect the stated session sequence but prevent a secure official Grand Prix designation.

[1]

According to RacingNews365’s account of a Viaplay interview, Antonelli said that even an excellent lap would at most have put him second or third, and judged Verstappen too fast in qualifying. The second- or third-place ceiling is Antonelli’s assessment, not a measured alternative result.

This source finding must be read within the stated scope and source context. Antonelli’s assessment of his qualifying performance, relayed by RacingNews365 from Viaplay After the qualifying session discussed in the 3 October 2026 report RacingNews365 cites Viaplay; no Viaplay recording or transcript was supplied.

[1]

Antonelli attributed added pressure to having only one Q3 attempt. He also said that going out onto an empty track meant missing the grip peak normally available later in qualifying.

This source finding must be read within the stated scope and source context. Antonelli’s explanation of his final qualifying attempt, relayed by RacingNews365 from Viaplay After the qualifying session discussed in the 3 October 2026 report These are Antonelli’s explanations as reproduced by RacingNews365, not independently verified effects on lap time.

[1]

Antonelli said the team needed more time to understand its package on the rough, warm surface and expected a better understanding at Singapore. This is his expectation, not an established future performance gain.

This source finding must be read within the stated scope and source context. Antonelli’s view of the Mercedes package, relayed by RacingNews365 from Viaplay The qualifying weekend discussed in the 3 October 2026 report and Antonelli’s outlook for Singapore The article supplies Antonelli’s remarks but no independent technical assessment.

[1]

This article was produced with AI assistance. Source references make its supporting evidence traceable.