Kimi Antonelli could not have beaten Max Verstappen by staying out during the second safety car in Malaysia.

Telemetry analysis reveals Kimi Antonelli would have made a huge mistake by staying on track during the second safety car period rather than pitting for fresh tires. The Mercedes driver was running second behind Max Verstappen when Alex Albon's retirement triggered the safety car with 12 laps remaining.

While Antonelli would have gained track position by staying out, data shows Verstappen was 2 seconds per lap faster on fresh tires after the restart. Even in the four-lap sprint to the finish, Verstappen averaged 0.376 seconds faster than Antonelli without the Italian managing a single sector advantage.

The pace differential demonstrated Red Bull's dominance throughout the weekend, with Verstappen showing superior performance in every phase of the race. Mercedes' championship leader had struggled to match the Red Bull's pace even when both were on similar tire strategies earlier in the race.

Verstappen fully deserved his first victory of 2026 with total control across the entire weekend, reminding observers why he is a four-time world champion. The analysis confirmed that any attempt by Antonelli to play hero would have only cost him the secure second-place points he ultimately collected.