Kimi Antonelli wants to capitalize on Mercedes' strengths in Miami: "In qualifying, we are very good"

He's a young man with incredible talent whose first podium finish seems only a matter of days away. Will it be in Miami that Kimi Antonelli will manage to secure the honors of the protocol for the first time? The Italian certainly seems to have what it takes to achieve this after a dazzling start to the season.

Having scored four points in five races, he has impressed with his rapid adaptation, which has allowed him to perform at a level close to that of his teammate George Russell. The Bologna native owes this in particular to his ease in qualifying, where he has improved week by week.

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Eliminated in Q1 (16th) for his debut in Melbourne, he has since done better and better: 8th in China, 6th in Japan, then 5th in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. Can he now hope to grab the first two rows in Miami, on a circuit he is new to? Yes, if he manages to confirm the ease of his Mercedes on a tour.

"It's going to be very exciting, it's my first time in Miami. Not only on the track, but also in the city," smiles the 18-year-old, who is not yet an adult according to American law (21 years old). “Track-wise, we’ve been very consistent since the start of the season. Our qualifying pace has always been very good. I hope this weekend we can fight for the front rows again. At the Saudi Arabian GP, ​​we struggled a bit with George (Russell), but the race will be quite similar here. The asphalt is quite similar to Jeddah’s and there hasn’t seemed to be much degradation in previous editions. There will be a lot of battles, that’s for sure. As I said, our qualifying pace is very good and we’ll have to keep it that way. If we can qualify at the front, then we can aim for some interesting positions.”

To his great delight, Andrea Kimi Antonelli will have two qualifying sessions over the weekend: the first this Friday (22:30 p.m. French time) to determine the starting order for the sprint race, and a second on Saturday evening to establish the grid for the Grand Prix. Two dream opportunities for the rookie to reach the podium.