Kimi Antonelliis counting on a restful night to bounce back from a lacklustre qualifying performance at the Mexico City Grand Prix, though he acknowledges that the pressure of the Formula 1 championship has caused him to drive with unnecessary tension.
The Italian was only 0.001 seconds slower than Lando Norris in FP3, but struggled to match that pace during qualifying, consistently falling half a step behind.Mercedes team-mate George RussellHe failed to establish the necessary confidence throughout the session, which hampered his overall performance.
Antonelli opted for ‘build’ laps during qualifying—running a preparation lap before his timed attempt to warm up his tyres—but Russell chose to skip this approach on his final Q3 run, a decision that ultimately propelled the Briton to within striking distance of pole position.Lewis HamiltonIn the closing moments, he edged out his former teammate by just 0.009 seconds to secure his first pole position.FerrariThis marks his 105th career pole in Formula 1.
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Additionally, Antonelli has been dealing with illness this weekend; he skipped Thursday’s media commitments due to a fever and has been gradually recovering. He admits he still isn’t at full strength and feels drained, but also believes the persistent focus on the F1 title has contributed to his heightened nerves this weekend.
I’m feeling really drained—I haven’t fully bounced back yet, and honestly, the weekend hasn’t been straightforward,” Antonelli said.
I’ve definitely been more on edge than normal, especially with that constant repetition wherever I go, at any hour of the day. Hearing people insist it’s already settled, while knowing my own tendencies, I’ve been doing my best to tune out all that noise.
But it’s not been easy, and I’ll admit I’ve been more tense today. Still, I felt solid in Q2, particularly on the used tyres. However, in Q3, with the fresh rubber, I just couldn’t piece together a clean lap—struggling to find grip.
Still, I believe we’ve got a strong shot tomorrow. We’re sitting P4, and we’ve preserved a set of new tyres, so hopefully we can make good use of that and push forward.
Antonelli noted that his earlier illness was “extremely rough—I had a high fever and severe stomach issues”—though now he’s mainly just exhausted from lack of sleep. He admitted this affected his performance, leading to errors across laps, which may have made him hold back during qualifying to ensure a reliable lap time.
Regarding Sunday’s race strategy, he believes Mercedes might not match Ferrari’s pace over the full 71-lap distance, but he’s focused on securing a clean run through the tight Turn 1 bottleneck before tackling the rest of the circuit.
It’s a long approach into Turn 1, so a strong start will be crucial—and if we get it right, we could gain a few spots,” he added.
Of course, avoiding trouble is key too, since Turn 1 is always unpredictable. But if we manage a good launch, I think we’ll have a real chance to progress. The race pace isn’t quite on par with Ferrari’s, but I still believe we can perform well.
I believe fatigue played a significant role today, but I also realize I didn’t manage to complete the lap effectively. There were several errors scattered throughout, so naturally, it’s frustrating—but I’ll aim to get a good night’s rest.
I know I haven’t been performing at my best. Even before qualifying, I wasn’t feeling sharp and was running low on energy. It’s not an excuse, but clearly, this wasn’t my strongest performance.
I’m planning to take a strong dose of melatonin to ensure I sleep for about ten hours. My main goal is to unwind as much as possible. My family has just arrived, so having them around will be a positive boost.
My focus is simply to disconnect completely, hit the bed early, and then be fully prepared for what comes tomorrow.
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