Andrea Kimi Antonelli admitted that “emotion got over” him, blowing a chance of taking pole position for Formula 1‘s Singapore Grand Prix.
The Italian will line up fourth on the grid for the second Grand Prix running, indicating that his regained form in Baku was not a one-off.
So much so that the prospect of securing his first-ever Grand Prix pole position did not look unrealistic, after setting some impressive times in the first two parts of the session.
But his challenge fell away in Q3, settling for a time that was just shy of four tenths off that of pole-sitter – his Mercedes team-mate George Russell.
Speaking after qualifying, Antonelli confessed that the realness of the prospect of being able to achieve top spot caused the lapse, leaving him feeling frustrated.
“Yeah, it was good,” he told media including Motorsport Week when asked how qualifying went.
“Well, Q3 wasn’t good,” he added. “Q1 and Q2 I felt strong because Lap 1, I had traffic and then I felt a bit under pressure because I didn’t have lap on the board.
“But then we were able to deliver a strong lap and then Q2 I was feeling really good in the car. I had a big moment on lap two where I lost quite a bit of time, but we were still P2 or P3 after the session.
“And then Q3 I think I let the emotion, my emotion got over and just started to drive a bit tense because I felt I had a real shot to at least front row because we were quick.
“But then I started to overdrive and I started to push more and more. Starting to carry a lot of speed into the corner, but just it was too much over the limit.
“And it was a shame because I look at the data and most of the corners were quicker also compared to Q2.
“But in those few corners, I just pushed too much and it was a corner where I didn’t have to push anymore because we were already quick. And yeah, I just lost it all.
“It was a shame.I was really, I feel disappointed because the potential was a lot higher.”
READ MORE – Why Red Bull is still ‘in the game’ despite woeful F1 Singapore GP record
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