Kimi Antonelli will start third for the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia after a track limits violation in Q2 forced him to use an extra set of soft tires. The Mercedes driver believed he could have fought for the front row without the mistake that limited his tire allocation for Q3.
The championship leader went fastest in Saturday's third practice but faced additional pressure in qualifying when his initial Q2 lap was deleted for exceeding track limits. This forced him to return on fresh soft tires, leaving him with only one new set for the final qualifying segment.
Antonelli waited until the circuit was clear before recording his Q3 lap, initially placing third before being pushed to fourth by other drivers. He will ultimately start third due to Isack Hadjar's five-place grid penalty for exceeding power unit allocation limits.
The Italian admitted that with another tire set available, Mercedes could have fought for the front row, though he acknowledged Max Verstappen was too quick for pole position. He expressed optimism about Sunday's race despite the qualifying setback, noting that high tire degradation and potential rain could create opportunities.