Kimi Antonelli Pays Heavy Price for Missing 2026 Hungarian F1 FP1

Kimi Antonelli admitted that missing FP1 at the 2026 Hungarian Formula 1 Grand Prix was probably the wrong decision after struggling with car balance in qualifying and later receiving a grid penalty.

The championship leader handed his Mercedes to Fred Vesti for the opening session to complete the mandatory requirement of giving a young driver two FP1 appearances during the season. Antonelli had previously stepped aside in Barcelona.

The decision cost him 60 minutes of track time during a weekend that produced more difficult conditions than expected. A dusty surface, gusty winds, and sections of the track beginning to break up made the car harder to control.

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“I think I probably picked not the best race to miss FP1 because the conditions are much more challenging than anticipated,” Antonelli said.

Antonelli believed the additional session could have helped him establish a rhythm sooner, provide stronger technical feedback, and unlock the car’s set-up from the beginning of the weekend. He struggled for consistent balance and feeling from the W17 throughout qualifying.

He also lost time at the final corner on his decisive lap. Antonelli estimated that a cleaner attempt could have placed him third, although he conceded it would still not have been enough to challenge Lando Norris for pole position.

“Maybe with FP1, I could have worked a bit better on the set-up, started off right, had better input and got into the rhythm with driving,” he said.

Antonelli initially qualified fourth, but a three-place penalty for failing to slow sufficiently under yellow flags means he will start the 2026 Hungarian Formula 1 Grand Prix from sixth.