antonelli Shocks Miami, Russell Admits to Pace Struggles in Sprint Qualifying
MIAMI (AP) — Kimi Antonelli delivered a stunning performance in sprint qualifying at the Miami Grand Prix, securing pole position adn outshining his Mercedes teammate, George Russell. Antonelli’s achievement marks him as the youngest driver in Formula 1 history to clinch a pole position, surpassing Sebastian Vettel’s previous record.
Antonelli’s Unexpected Surge
The 18-year-old Italian rookie, who has generally trailed Russell by two to four tenths of a second in qualifying sessions this season, reversed the trend at the Miami International circuit. Antonelli’s pole-winning lap was three tenths of a second faster than Russell’s, marking the first time he has out-qualified the three-time grand prix winner in any grid-setting session this year.
Russell Concedes Discomfort, Praises Antonelli
Russell, who will start the sprint race in fifth, acknowledged his struggles with the car’s setup and overall pace throughout the day. “Firstly, massive congrats to Kimi,” Russell stated. “Really pleased to see. He did an amazing job. He’s been really quick all day,really extraordinary.” He added that he lacked confidence in the car and opted to set his lap time early in the session, hoping for a potential advantage from a late yellow or red flag.
Mercedes Driver Cites Setup Challenges
The 27-year-old Briton elaborated on his difficulties, noting that he hadn’t found his ”groove” early in the weekend, a crucial factor in the challenging sprint race format. He explained, “These sprint race weekends are challenging, and if you get in the groove early, you can just build from there, and all day, I just haven’t quite felt it in the car, especially the tyres sliding around a bit.” despite his struggles,Russell managed to out-qualify both Ferrari drivers,Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton,and will start just behind Max Verstappen.
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Antonelli Shocks Miami, Russell Admits to Pace Struggles in Sprint Qualifying
MIAMI (AP) — kimi Antonelli delivered a stunning performance in sprint qualifying at the Miami Grand Prix, securing pole position and outshining his Mercedes teammate, George Russell. Antonelli’s achievement marks him as the youngest driver in Formula 1 history to clinch a pole position, surpassing Sebastian Vettel’s previous record.
Antonelli’s Unexpected Surge
The 18-year-old Italian rookie,who has generally trailed Russell by two to four tenths of a second in qualifying sessions this season,reversed the trend at the Miami International circuit. Antonelli’s pole-winning lap was three tenths of a second faster than Russell’s, marking the first time he has out-qualified the three-time grand prix winner in any grid-setting session this year.
Russell Concedes Discomfort,Praises Antonelli
Russell,who will start the sprint race in fifth,acknowledged his struggles with the car’s setup and overall pace throughout the day.”Firstly, massive congrats to Kimi,” Russell stated. ”Really pleased to see. he did an amazing job. He’s been really speedy all day, really exceptional.” He added that he lacked confidence in the car and opted to set his lap time early in the session, hoping for a potential advantage from a late yellow or red flag.
Mercedes Driver Cites Setup Challenges
The 27-year-old Briton elaborated on his difficulties, noting that he hadn’t found his “groove” early in the weekend, a crucial factor in the challenging sprint race format. He explained, “These sprint race weekends are challenging, and if you get in the groove early, you can just build from there, and all day, I just haven’t quite felt it in the car, especially the tyres sliding around a bit.” despite his struggles,Russell managed to out-qualify both Ferrari drivers,Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton,and will start just behind Max Verstappen.
Q&A: Unpacking the Miami Grand Prix Sprint Qualifying
Who is Kimi Antonelli?
Kimi Antonelli is an 18-year-old Italian rookie driver for Mercedes, making waves in Formula 1. This Miami Grand Prix sprint qualifying marked his debut pole position, a significant feat.
How significant is Antonelli’s achievement?
It’s huge! He’s the youngest driver ever to secure a Formula 1 pole position, breaking Sebastian vettel’s record. This victory signals a potential star in the making.
What happened to George Russell?
Russell struggled with car setup and pace during qualifying. He admitted to not finding the right “groove” and lacking confidence in the car,ultimately qualifying fifth.
Why are sprint race weekends challenging?
Sprint race weekends offer limited practice time.If a driver doesn’t find the right setup quickly, it’s challenging to recover due to the compressed schedule. The short format amplifies the importance of the initial sessions.
Where will Russell start the sprint race?
Russell will start the sprint race in fifth position. This positions him behind Max Verstappen and ahead of both Ferrari drivers.
Antonelli’s remarkable performance has injected excitement into the Miami Grand Prix. Stay tuned to see how the sprint race unfolds!
