Kimi Antonelli admits he’s delighted along with his surprising pole place for the Dash on the Miami Grand Prix, however is already eyeing a repeat in Saturday’s qualifying session.
The 18-year-old grew to become the youngest driver to set the quickest time in any qualifying session in System 1 by beating Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris on Friday afternoon in Miami, and can begin from pole for the Dash. With the outcome, his first top-three efficiency in any aggressive a part of an F1 weekend, Antonelli admits it got here out of the blue, however his focus is already switching to making an attempt to change into the youngest polesitter for a grand prix within the sport’s historical past Saturday.
“It was a really intense qualifying,” Antonelli mentioned. “I felt actually good since this morning, and I felt assured going into qualifying. The final lap was mighty. I put principally every thing collectively and it was good that all of it got here very properly and I’m actually completely happy to get the primary pole.
“Over the moon. I didn’t anticipate it, however I used to be feeling good within the automobile. I used to be capable of enhance lap by lap and discover that consistency, and in that lap all of it got here collectively. I’m tremendous, tremendous proud of that. Now we’ll get pleasure from this second just a little bit extra, however as properly, I wish to concentrate on tomorrow, as a result of I actually wished to attempt to repeat myself.
“We did fairly a future in FP1 to attempt to collect as a lot info as potential. In fact, we don’t actually know the tempo of the others, however I suppose we’ll see tomorrow, in the course of the race after which concerning the qualifying. The monitor goes to maintain evolving, so it’s going to be vital to be on prime of it and attempt to repeat ourselves.”
Antonelli’s father was current within the Mercedes storage and was capable of have a good time along with his son after the Dash qualifying session, and the rookie paid tribute to his household after his landmark outcome.
“Positively it was very nice,” he mentioned. “Additionally to search out him within the storage after qualifying, I’m tremendous completely happy to share this second with him. It’s so vital to me as properly, and he’s like a rock and I do know I can all the time depend on him. Actually completely happy to share this second with him, and I want to share it with my mother and my sister as properly. Hopefully subsequent time.
“Tomorrow it’s going to be good to begin on the entrance row. It’s going to be a little bit of a distinct feeling, however I actually can not look forward to tomorrow and to see how we will do within the Dash after which in qualifying as properly.”