Kimi Antonelli addresses McLaren F1 threat: 'It was expected'

Kimi Antonelli has stated that he “expected” McLaren to challenge Mercedes upon the F1 season’s resumption in Miami.

Lando Norris secured sprint pole position on Friday afternoon, beating Antonelli to the top spot by two-tenths of a second.

Mercedes dominated the opening three rounds of the year, but a significant package of upgrades introduced in Miami after the April break has threatened to disrupt its dominance at the front of the grid.

Antonelli acknowledged it was a tricky day for him, suggesting his final SQ3 run was compromised by missing a soft-tyre run at the end of practice due to a power unit issue.

“It was a pretty messy session,” Antonelli said. “I struggled a lot with the car.

“The medium [tyre], I couldn't get a good lap in. And then on the softs, all of a sudden, the car became more alive, the car felt more comfortable.

“It was a shame not to try the soft in FP1, there was a little bit left on the table.

“Despite everything, it was a decent result. The team did a great job recovering.”

Having enjoyed little competition from rival teams at the opening three events, Antonelli stated it was no surprise to see a closer contest this time around.

“We were expecting this weekend to be quite a bit tougher,” he said.

“Also because those teams, everyone brought major upgrades, which they closed the gap or went in front of us.

“The McLarens, they have got the same PU as us and they improved the car a lot.

“It was expected for them to be at the front. But I think we can be in the fight. That's what we're going to try and do tomorrow and Sunday as well.”