Andrea Kimi Antonelli reveals which aspect he’s working to improve at Mercedes

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Andrea Kimi Antonelli got back on the scoresheet with a 10th-place finish at the Hungarian Grand Prix, but even though he picked up a point before the summer break, the Mercedes rookie knows there is still plenty of work to do.

It was just his second top-10 finish in the last eight races, and it broke a stretch of three races without any points since his maiden podium in Canada.

The Canadian GP was an outlier during what has been a challenging stretch for him. He started the season well with five points finishes in six rounds but has struggled since then. Mercedes have seen Antonelli retire from four of the last eight races.

Andrea Kimi Antonelli’s efforts to close the gap in F1 qualifying pace

Mercedes’ rear suspension upgrade, introduced at the Imola Grand Prix and subsequently used in Canada, Austria, Britain, and Belgium, negatively impacted Antonelli’s confidence due to balance issues. Consequently, Mercedes opted to remove the update for the Hungarian Grand Prix.

The Italian was also only able to qualify P15 for the Hungarian GP, as he failed to reach Q3 for a fifth time through 14 rounds. The 18-year-old is aware that qualifying is an area he must improve, as he is still realising ‘every lap’ how much more he can truly attack.

“I’m still having a hard time understanding how much the car can do over a qualifying lap. You’re so close to the limit that it’s quite easy to go a bit over it. I’m still trying to find that fine line,” Antonelli told Auto Motor und Sport.

“In qualifying, the grip is extremely high. You enter the corners so much faster than in the race. And on every lap, you think: ‘This corner is going even faster’. I’m not at the point yet where I’m at the absolute limit on the first lap.

“I’m feeling my way toward the limit. The problem is that qualifying doesn’t give you many opportunities to work toward it for a long time. On top of that, the limit is constantly changing with the conditions. But I’m working on it.”

Ahead of F1’s summer break after round 14 of 24 in Hungary, George Russell leads Andrea Kimi Antonelli 13-1 in their Grand Prix qualifying head-to-head battle. The only time that Andrea has finished ahead of George came in round nine in Miami.

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George Russell’s dominance over Kimi Antonelli highlighted by qualifying gaps

Outside the car, Russell has praised how Antonelli handles media responsibilities, especially given the spotlight that comes with being Italy’s next big hope and taking over from Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes. But Antonelli knows he needs to deliver more on track.

Having seen Russell consistently get more out of the W16, Antonelli says it would feel like a reward just to reach his teammate’s level by season’s end. Closing that gap is now a clear goal for the 18-year-old as he looks to grow into his role.

Russell currently leads almost every head-to-head category between them this year, with Antonelli’s only edge coming from his Sprint pole in Miami. Still, Russell will likely value his pole position and win in Canada far more than a Sprint result.

If Antonelli wants to close the gap by the end of his rookie season, qualifying is where he will need to start. Mercedes will also want to see him reach Q3 more often, as early exits have become too frequent through the first half of the calendar.