Kimi Antonelli Admits Costly Errors Hurt Austrian GP Bid

Kimi Antonelli has admitted a series of mistakes throughout the 2026 Austrian Grand Prix weekend ultimately cost him the opportunity to fight for victory with Mercedes, despite showing some of the strongest pace at the Red Bull Ring.

The 19-year-old Italian eventually finished third after starting fourth on the grid. Throughout practice, Antonelli had regularly looked faster than team-mate George Russell, who went on to secure both pole position and victory.

Lowering the Intensity Too Early

Antonelli admitted his first mistake came before qualifying. After beginning the weekend strongly, he felt he unintentionally relaxed too much, leaving himself unable to drive with the same confidence when it mattered most.

Baca JugaKimi Antonelli Akui Kesalahan Krusial di GP Austria 2026

"I started the weekend very strongly, but because of that I lowered the intensity a bit too much. By qualifying I just felt a bit tense and wasn't driving as freely," Antonelli explained.

Although he remained among the frontrunners, he believes he was no longer extracting the maximum performance from the W17 during the decisive qualifying session.

A Misjudged Yellow Flag

His second key mistake arrived during the final moments of Q3 after Max Verstappen crashed. Antonelli mistakenly believed double yellow flags had been deployed and immediately abandoned his lap.

In reality, only a single yellow flag had been shown. While Antonelli backed off, Russell completed his lap and secured pole position. Antonelli admitted that, even without the misunderstanding, he would probably have qualified second rather than ahead of his team-mate.

"I was about one tenth behind George, so it probably would have been P2, very close, but still P2," he said.

A Poor Start Ended His Victory Chances

Starting from fourth made Antonelli's race considerably more complicated. He ran wide at Turns 1 and 3 on the opening lap before leaving the circuit again at Turn 1 at the start of lap two. Brake issues during the opening stint further contributed to several mistakes that cost valuable time.

"The first lap was really bad for me. I was struggling with the brakes and started making mistakes, which cost me a lot of time," Antonelli admitted.

Once the opening stint was over, however, his pace improved significantly as the race progressed.

The Pace Arrived Too Late

The Mercedes W17 came alive during the second half of the Grand Prix. Antonelli consistently reduced the gap to Verstappen and came within striking distance of second place on the final lap.

"The second stint was better, and the third stint was really, really strong. The pace was there, but unfortunately it came a little bit too late," he said.

Although he narrowly missed second place, Antonelli once again demonstrated the underlying speed that has made him one of the leading championship contenders this season. Heading to Silverstone, Mercedes will now aim to combine that pace with a cleaner execution across the entire race weekend.