Kimi Antonelli rues costly error after added F1 qualifying stress

Kimi Antonelli believes his mistake in Q2 at the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia prevented him from maximising qualifying, as it cost him an additional set of tyres.

Antonelli needed an extra push lap in the middle segment of the grid-setting session after a track limits violation at Turn 6 saw his first effort wiped off the timing board.

That left him shorthanded for Q3, where he put in a single flying effort, just before the rest of the pack came out again in the dying moments.

Despite the added hurdle to overcome, the Mercedes driver went fourth-fastest, comfortably outqualifying team-mate George Russell, who was down in eighth.

With Isack Hadjar taking a five-place grid penalty for an engine change, the F1 drivers' championship leader will start third, but he could not escape the feeling it could have been slightly more.

"The mistake was a shame, but all in all, I think, in all honesty, with a clean qualifying without the track limits [violation in Q2], maybe P2, P3 on the road would have been possible," Antonelli said to Sky Sports F1 after qualifying.

"Because, obviously, with only one set [of tyres], Q3 is never easy, especially with the track cooling down.

"But Max did an incredible job and was very quick, and also Ferrari; they made a huge step compared to FP3.

"Still, all in all, we have to be happy because it could have been much worse, and we'll focus on tomorrow."

Antonelli shares race target

Changing focus to address the 56-lap race at the Sepang International Circuit, Antonelli highlighted the looming jeopardy facing the field, where the harsh climate and rough track surface will see massive tyre wear, which could mean three-stop strategies.

Nonetheless, the young Italian will reach for what feels possible as the race unfolds. With a 66-point advantage — and grid position — on Russell in the standings, he does not need to take unnecessary risks.

"Yeah, for sure. It's going to be interesting," the eight-time grand prix winner added.

"However, I think Mark still has a little bit of the edge on pace, and also the Ferrari looks pretty strong. So it's gonna be tight.

"The degradation is going to be huge. So it's going to be important to manage those temperatures, those tyres, and try to bring [the car] home and try to do the best result possible.

"If we can win, we'll go for it. If we have to settle for a P2 or a P3, we'll do that."