Antonelli rues lack of fresh softs in Barcelona qualifying
Following a tough Monaco weekend, Mercedes driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli returned to his fine form, ending up sixth on the grid for today's Spanish Grand Prix.
Following a tough weeked at Monte Carlo, Spain has proved a happy hunting ground for Mercedes so far this weekend. Both George Russell and Andrea Kimi Antonelli made it to Q3 – the Briton with ease, the Italian just about doing enough.
Russell looked strong in Q3, but he had to settle for fourth as reigning champion Max Verstappen delivered an unexpectedly strong final push lap. Although Russell and Verstappen set exactly the same time, the Dutchman will line up third on the grid as he posted his lap earlier that the Mercedes driver.
His team-mate Antonelli only had one set of fresh tyres but put them to good use in grabbing sixth, putting his W16 in between the two Ferraris.
"After two difficult race weekends, it is good to be back in a good rhythm. It took me some time to build up my speed at the start of the session, but I started to gain a lot of confidence lap after lap,” Antonelli started his assessment.
"Unfortunately, with only one set of new Soft tyres for Q3, I was slightly limited. I wasn’t able to take quite as much risk, and I know there was a couple of tenths to grab here and there, but overall, P6 is a great come back from where I had been earlier in the weekend.
Signing off with a word for his expectations for the race, the Bologna-born driver noted that tyre management will be vital due to the hot conditions.
"It is going to be a difficult race tomorrow with these hot temperatures. Preserving the tyres will be a real challenge for the whole field.
“That is why we deliberately have focused on our long run pace this weekend as we know it is an area we need to improve in. Tomorrow will be a good test of the progress we have made, and I am hopeful that we can put in a competitive showing."
