Kimi Antonelli: P3 in Miami good way to “bounce back” after sprint disappointment
Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli qualified third for the Miami Grand Prix after dropping from first to seventh in the F1 sprint
Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes
Photo by: Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Images
Andrea Kimi Antonelli bounced back from a disappointing performance in the Miami Grand Prix sprint race earlier today to secure third place in qualifying for Sunday’s Formula 1 grand prix.
The Mercedes rookie qualified on pole position for the sprint in Miami, but a first-lap tussle with the McLaren of Oscar Piastri saw him tumble down the order. After a raft of post-race penalties finalised the rankings, Antonelli had to settle for seventh place and just two points.
The Italian racer followed his disappointing sprint result with a stellar run in qualifying for Sunday's Miami Grand Prix, putting his car third and splitting the McLaren pair of Lando Norris and Piastri, who qualified in second and fourth respectively.
“This weekend is going well so far. It was a bit disappointing this morning, but it was good to bounce back this way,” Antonelli said.
"I struggled a little bit during the quali, I didn’t have such a clean run like I had yesterday. But that last lap was quite good. I was a bit too greedy in Turn 1, but the rest of the lap was quite good, so I’m happy with it.”
Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes
Photo by: James Sutton / Motorsport Images
Antonelli’s best lap in Q3 was a 1m26.271s, which put him just two thousandths of a second behind Norris. Both were outclassed by the Red Bull of Max Verstappen, who clinched a thrilling pole position with a lap time of 1m26.204s.
"The gaps are super tight, and definitely, if you can gain just a few hundredths, you can make up so many places,” Antonelli added.
“It’s really about putting everything together, and so far this weekend I’m doing that. Hopefully tomorrow we can have a good race."
The Mercedes rookie outqualified his team-mate George Russell in a grand prix for the first time this season, with the British driver in fifth.
Stay up to speed with the latest F1 Miami Grand Prix news, expert analysis, photos and videos. Join our watch along on Race Center Live by signing up here.
Photos from Miami GP - Sprint and Qualifying
2025 Miami Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Miami Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Miami Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Miami Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Miami Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Miami Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Miami Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Miami Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Miami Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Miami Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Miami Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Miami Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Miami Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Miami Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Miami Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Miami Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Miami Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Miami Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Miami Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Miami Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Miami Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Miami Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Miami Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Miami Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Miami Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Miami Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Miami Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Miami Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Miami Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Miami Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Miami Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Miami Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Miami Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Miami Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Miami Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Miami Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Miami Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Miami Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Miami Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Miami Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Miami Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Miami Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Miami Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Miami Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Miami Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Miami Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Miami Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Miami Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Miami Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Miami Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Miami Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Miami Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Miami Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Miami Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Miami Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Miami Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Miami Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Miami Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Miami Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Miami Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Miami Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Miami Grand Prix - Saturday
Share Or Save This Story
Andrea Stella praises “very tough” Oscar Piastri: He will come back ‘more determined’
From “artificial” to “awesome” – how drivers rate the racing under F1’s 2026 rules
The 2026 Formula 1 spotter's guide
Melbourne crash shows Kimi Antonelli is ‘learning F1 the hard way’ – Toto Wolff
Who slept best last night: Toto Wolff
Ralf Schumacher: Mercedes still has “room for improvement” after strong Australian GP 1-2
F1 compression ratio saga: What the FIA's tighter regulations actually mean
Ferrari has the best F1 car, Lando Norris claims: 'Their cornering speed is unbelievable'
The new Mercedes star who had an unconventional route to success
Susie Wolff reveals how attitudes to female racers have changed ahead of 2026 F1 Academy season
F1 Academy announces partnership with beauty giant SEPHORA ahead of 2026 season opener in Shanghai
WEC 2025 BoP analysis: Aston Martin
How drivers and crew chief aggression was responsible for tire issues at Phoenix
What's next for Aston Martin and Honda after torrid start to F1 2026?
Exclusive: Mario Andretti blown away by 'unexpected' Cadillac F1 chassis tribute
Boardroom wrangling to points on debut: Audi's long journey towards its bright start in Australia
Celebrating 20 years of F1's knockout qualifying system
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
Top Comments