SUZUKA (GIAPPONE) (ITALPRESS) – Kimi Antonelli is the pole position in the Japan Grand Prix, the third season of Formula 1. The Italian Mercedes driver stops the chronometer at 1’28′′778 and will start in front of everyone also on the Suzuka circuit, after the pole conquered two weeks ago in China. Complete the first row his teammate, George Russell, detached almost three-tenths. Third time for the McLaren by Oscar Piastri, ahead of the Ferrari by Charles Leclerc (+0′′′627). Further back the other Lewis Hamilton Red (+0′′′789), which will depart from the sixth position, in the third row behind Lando Norris. Pierre Settimo Gasly on Alpine, which precedes the Red Bull of Isack Hadjar. They close the top ten Bortoleto and Lindblad, while it is clamorously out in the Q2 Max Verstappen, which will leave eleventh.
LE DICHIARAZIONI
“This pole was more beautiful than that in China. I felt good in the car, although in Q1 the first run was not great, because the wind had changed so much and the car was more difficult to drive. I tried to adapt as much as I could and eventually managed to have a good rhythm.” These are the words of Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli, Sky Sport microphones. “I believe that I have started well in free 1 and improved in all sessions without making mistakes – he added. When you can do three clean sessions and make improvements every time it helps a lot, even in China this helped a lot. Obviously there is still to improve, but we are on the right path. Surely at the start there will be a different awareness than China. I’ll be quieter. I will try to make a clean start without overhaul, we hope to be first in curve 1 and then to have a good step”, concluded Antonelli.
“I’m a little disappointed in the fourth place. The tour was not perfect, but I’m very happy about it. But I’ve lost a lot of time in the straight to myself, and that’s really frustrating. Even if you know it can happen, when it happens it’s from fists on the wheel. The pilot can do many things, but when we are 100% accelerator you can’t do so much, and when you see that time we lose him in straight is frustrating.” Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc said that to Sky Sport microphones.
“You can’t blame the engine. Surely the power supply is decisive for much of the time, but our performance is lower even at the machine level. We have to recover a huge gap to be able to play with it.” So Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton at Sky Sport microphones.
“It is not only a matter of performance or energy management, but also of how to extract the best from the machine we have. We did better in Q2 rather than in Q3 and we have to understand why, but we also have to focus on tomorrow’s race, start and strategy. The step was good, so everything is open.” So Ferrari’s main team, Frederic Vasseur, to Sky Sport microphones after qualifying in the Japan Formula 1 Grand Prix. “If we run to win? When you are on the grid you always want to get the best – he added – The race pass yesterday seemed pretty good, we will start to do our best. If we are satisfied with what has gone so far? Yes and no. No because the goal is also to win races, and we have a performance deficit compared to Mercedes. We must improve, but overall we are not too far away. We know there will be another championship in Miami. The season will be long and the rate of development will be very high, so we must not be afraid.”.
LA GRIGLIA DI PARTENZA
1. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes)
2. George Russell (Mercedes)
3. Oscar Piastri (McLaren)
4. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
5. Lando Norris (McLaren)
6. Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari)
7. Pierre Gasly (Alpine)
8. Isack Hadjar (Red Bull)
9. Gabriel Bortoleto (Audi)
10. Arvid Lindbland (Racing Bulls)
11. Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
12. Esteban Ocon (Haas)
13. Nico Hulkenberg (Audi)
14. Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls)
15. Franco Colapinto (Alpine)
16. Carlos Sainz (Williams)
17. Alexander Albon (Williams)
18. Oliver Bearman (Haas)
19. Sergio Perez (Cadillac)
20. Valtteri Bottas (Cadillac)
21. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)
22. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin)
– photo IPA Agency –
(ITALPRESS).
