Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli offered a detailed account of how a minor error exiting the garage spiralled into a costly setback in Qualifying at the 2025 F1 Austrian GP. He lost track position in the queue, allowing Bortoleto’s Sauber to slot ahead at a critical moment.
“I exited on garage because I put first gear a bit late, so I lost a little bit of my spot,” Antonelli explained. “I was in the queue, and the Sauber kind of forced in, so it was not really fair. Then I found myself in a really bad position because I had to take the gap. I do not know by how much I missed the flag, but I guess it was by very little.”
With the chequered flag falling before he could start his final push lap on fresh soft tyres, Antonelli was denied the chance to improve—a blow given the potential he believed was on the table.
Wind shift compounds Mercedes struggles
Beyond the traffic issues, Antonelli also pointed to a significant change in wind direction compared to Friday’s sessions, which unsettled the Mercedes W16 and contributed to a drop in overall competitiveness.
“The wind changed a lot compared to yesterday, and that affected us quite a bit,” he said. “That put us in a more difficult position, but I think overall that inside the top six was possible today, especially with that last lap. If I had finished it, it definitely would have been much better.”
Given how close the field was in Qualifying, even a small gain could have netted Antonelli several places on the starting grid for the 2025 F1 Austrian GP race.
Eyes on recovery in Sunday’s race
Despite the disappointment in Qualifying, Antonelli remains optimistic for Sunday’s 2025 F1 Austrian GP Race. Mercedes showed promising long-run pace during practice, and the Red Bull Ring often produces dynamic races with overtaking opportunities throughout the field.
“The race pace was strong, but now we are starting P9, so definitely there is a lot to work on,” Antonelli acknowledged. “We will try to work a lot tonight in order to be ready for tomorrow.”
“In FP, the pace was good, so hopefully tomorrow will be the same. It is a track that offers a lot of racing, so hopefully with a good pace we can move forward.”
With Liam Lawson and Gabriel Bortoleto starting ahead, Antonelli targets at least a top-seven finish. A repeat of his Montreal heroics may be unlikely, but with clean air and strong tyre management, the Mercedes rookie could still deliver a valuable result in his debut Austrian GP.
