Antonelli: clean qualifying might have made P2 or P3 possible
At the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, held at Sepang, Kimi Antonelli qualified fourth. He said P2 or P3 might have been possible without his Q2 track-limits violation. The deleted lap left him with fewer fresh sets available for Q3. Before the race, Formula 1 reported that Isack Hadjar’s penalty would move Antonelli to third on the starting grid.
Kimi Antonelli qualified fourth for the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia at Sepang, with a best Q3 lap of 1:35.631. The stewards deleted his first Q2 lap, timed at 1:36.075, after he exceeded track limits at Turn 6.
After the deletion, Antonelli needed an extra push lap in Q2 and returned on new soft tyres, leaving him with fewer fresh sets for Q3. He made one flying effort just before the rest of the pack came out again late in the session.
After qualifying, Antonelli said P2 or P3 might have been possible without the Q2 violation. He added that another set could have let him fight for the front row, but not pole, because Verstappen was too quick.
Before the race, Formula 1 reported that Isack Hadjar’s penalty would move Antonelli up to third on the starting grid.
Sources 04
- SOURCEKimi Antonelli rues costly error after added F1 qualifying stressRacingNews365 English
- PRIMARY SOURCEAntonelli rues error after feeling ‘front row was possible’Formula 1
- PRIMARY SOURCEDoc 36 - Infringement - Qualifying Deleted Lap TimesFIA F1 decision documents
- PRIMARY SOURCEDoc 42 - Final Qualifying ClassificationFIA F1 decision documents
Claims and supporting evidence 6
The FIA classification identifies the venue, position and Q3 time.
Formula 1 identifies the initial Q2 lap and reason for deletion; the FIA table records the time and turn.
RacingNews365 reports the extra push lap; Formula 1 describes the tyre use and reduced fresh-set availability.
RacingNews365 reports the number and timing of his Q3 effort.
These are Antonelli’s conditional post-qualifying assessments, not alternative qualifying results.
This is reported as the pre-race expected grid order, not as Antonelli’s verified actual start.
Corrections and updates to this story
Antonelli: another set of softs might have opened front-row fight
Updated to clarify that Antonelli’s front-row assessment was hypothetical, that the FIA classified him fourth in qualifying, and that his reported move to third concerned the grid after Hadjar’s penalty.
Antonelli: deleted Q2 lap limited fresh-tyre options for Q3
Updated with Formula 1’s account of Antonelli’s tyre options and corrected the FIA citation markers: the deleted-lap decision and final qualifying classification are now cited to the appropriate documents. The reported third place is identified as a grid position, separate from his fourth-place qualifying classification.
Antonelli’s deleted Q2 lap shaped a one-shot Q3 attempt
Updated with RacingNews365’s account that the deleted Q2 lap required an extra push lap and left Antonelli with one set for a single flying attempt in Q3. His P2/P3 assessment remains attributed and hypothetical; the FIA records him fourth in qualifying.
Antonelli says another set might have opened front-row fight
Updated with Antonelli’s view that another set of soft tyres might have allowed him to fight for the front row. That remains a hypothetical assessment; the FIA’s final classification places him fourth in qualifying.
Antonelli: another set might have opened front-row fight
Updated to include Antonelli’s hypothetical front-row assessment and to distinguish his fourth-place qualifying result from Formula 1’s report that Hadjar’s penalty moved him to third on the starting grid.
Antonelli says Q2 error may have cost him chance at P2 or P3
Updated to make clear that Antonelli said P2 or P3 might have been possible without the Q2 error; it was his hypothetical assessment, not a definite outcome. The FIA classified him fourth in qualifying.
Antonelli says extra tyres might have opened front-row fight
Deze update voegt Antonelli’s inschatting toe dat een extra set zachte banden een gevecht om de eerste startrij mogelijk had kunnen maken. Dat blijft een hypothetische uitspraak; de FIA-classificatie zet hem vierde in de kwalificatie.
Antonelli says Q2 tyre use limited his options in qualifying finale
Deze update voegt Antonelli’s uitleg over zijn bandenkeuze in Q2 en zijn hypothetische inschatting van wat mogelijk was geweest toe. Zijn opmerkingen veranderen de FIA-kwalificatieclassificatie niet: die zet hem vierde. Formula 1 meldt afzonderlijk dat hij door Hadjars straf als derde zou starten.
Antonelli says extra tyres might have opened front-row fight
This update adds Antonelli’s assessment of how the deleted Q2 lap affected his tyre options, and his view that a front-row fight might have been possible. The FIA lists his Turn 6 lap among the deleted times and places him fourth in the final qualifying classification. Formula 1 separately reports that Hadjar’s penalty moved him to third on the starting grid.
Antonelli: extra tyres might have enabled front-row fight
This update clarifies Antonelli’s view that an extra set of tyres might have made a front-row fight possible. The FIA classified him fourth in qualifying; Formula 1 separately reported that Hadjar’s penalty moved him to third on the starting grid.
Antonelli: clean qualifying might have made P2 or P3 possible
This update adds Antonelli’s view that a clean qualifying session might have made P2 or P3 possible. That remains a hypothetical assessment; the FIA’s final classification places him fourth.
Antonelli: clean qualifying might have made P2 or P3 possible
Updated with details of Antonelli’s extra push lap in Q2 and his single flying effort in Q3 before the pack returned late in the session. | Bijgewerkt met details over Antonelli’s extra pushronde in Q2 en zijn enige vliegende poging in Q3, vlak voordat het veld laat in de sessie terugkeerde.
Antonelli: clean qualifying might have made P2 or P3 possible
Manual editorial correction: clarified wording and attribution and removed repeated or source-process prose where present. The underlying reporting and sources are unchanged. / Handmatige redactionele correctie: formuleringen en bronvermelding verduidelijkt; herhaling en controletaal verwijderd waar aanwezig. De verslaggeving en bronnen zijn behouden.
This article was produced with AI assistance. Source references make its supporting evidence traceable.