Kimi Antonelli declared that he and Mercedes are now “starting to see the potential” in the upgrades they recently introduced, after enjoying a “better day” around Singapore’s Marina Bay Street Circuit.
Heading into the weekend, having struggled to understand the developments they rolled out at Sepang, Mercedes decided to run two different specifications of car – Antonelli sticking with the new parts, and team mate George Russell reverting to the old package.
That initially looked to work in Russell’s favour, as he comfortably led the Mercedes charge in Sprint Qualifying by claiming second on the grid, while Antonelli lined up back in seventh, more than half a second adrift.
However, following a dramatic Sprint, which saw Russell crash out of the lead on the first lap and Antonelli finish fourth, various set-up changes were made to the Italian’s car for main Qualifying, where the intra-team tables were turned.
It was Antonelli who this time led the way in P4, with Russell just under a couple of tenths slower in sixth, though the Briton will drop to the back of the grid in any case thanks to an engine-related penalty.
Asked about his and Mercedes’ apparent progress throughout the weekend, and his car looking stronger on Saturday, Antonelli said: “Yeah, it did feel better, in a better place. I feel like the team did a tremendous job on doing these changes and putting the car in a better window. Although I feel the window was still very, very small during the session.
“The car was reacting differently depending on how I was driving it, and it was difficult to find the right balance on my side throughout Qualifying, where every set [of tyres] you just push it a little more.
“All in all, I think that today was a better day, and we start seeing the potential of the package. Also, we start seeing in which way we need to work. I’m happy with it. A big thanks to the team, and we’ll try to do our best tomorrow.”
Antonelli will start Sunday’s Grand Prix behind Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and Ferrari pair Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton – and he hopes the limitations still being encountered with the upgrades will be reduced in race trim.
“In Qualifying, you’re pushing to the absolute limit,” he emphasised. “For sure, I feel like tomorrow we can work our way around it a bit more, and hopefully we can fight for a podium.”
