Antonelli doesn't think he "would have been able to challenge" Norris
Mercedes' Andrea Kimi Antonelli bounced back from a difficult start to the Hungarian Grand Prix weekend with an impressive drive to third place, overcoming a grid penalty and making the most of strategy and tyre management to strengthen his position in the Formula 1 Drivers' Championship.
Mercedes endured a challenging Friday at the Hungaroring, struggling for outright pace during both free practice sessions. However, Antonelli and the team made significant progress overnight, allowing the Italian to qualify fourth.
His qualifying performance was later overshadowed by a three-place grid penalty for failing to slow sufficiently under yellow flags, dropping him to seventh on the starting grid.
Despite the setback, Antonelli produced a composed and measured drive on Sunday, climbing back onto the podium after a race in which tyre management proved crucial.
"I think today we maximised the result," Antonelli said after the race. "Obviously, we were a bit lucky with the VSC, I mean, with Oscar's issue, but other than that, we did the best we could."
The Mercedes driver admitted that changing track conditions made the race far from straightforward.
"Conditions were quite difficult today, struggling a little bit with oversteer, balance and then understeer. So, yeah, conditions were not easy today, but I'm happy with the result."
The Virtual Safety Car, triggered after Oscar Piastri's retirement, played into Mercedes' hands, but Antonelli stressed that the team had already put together a strong race through strategy and execution.
Mercedes initially opted for an aggressive strategic approach before adjusting its plans as tyre concerns emerged.
"It was a great team effort," Antonelli said. "Also, with strategy, we took a risk initially and then we kind of pulled back a little bit because we were a bit concerned about safety. But still, despite that, they put me in a position to fight for, eventually, the podium. So, it was a great team effort."
Although Antonelli recovered four positions from his penalised starting spot, he admitted that victory would likely have remained out of reach, even without the grid drop.
"I don't know. I mean, if I'd started P3, then it would have been another thing. But I think Lando still had the upper hand this weekend, even on us."
The Italian also pointed to the difficulty of racing closely behind another car around the Hungaroring.
"On pure pace, I don't think I would have been able to challenge him, especially with how difficult it was to follow as well, with a lot of tyre overheating. So, I think it would have been very difficult."
