Andrea Kimi Antonelli conceded that Mercedes could do no more than the second place he secured at the Formula 1 Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia.
The Italian, who started the race from third, powered through at lights out to take the lead from a slow-starting Max Verstappen, after the race start was delayed by around 100 minutes due to rainfall and an apparent software glitch that caused a number of cars to slow or stop on the formation lap.
Antonelli was, however, nullified by the extreme performance of the Red Bull package at the Sepang Circuit, with Verstappen taking a commanding victory, despite a late Safety Car giving the Italian hope.
It was still, however, a day for Antonelli to celebrate personally, as his result and teammate George Russell’s late DNF – caused by an apparent PU issue – sees him extend his title lead by another 18 points.
Speaking in parc ferme after the race, Antonelli believed that the German marque extracted the most out of the W17 this weekend, which failed to keep up with Ferrari and Red Bull across the weekend.
“I think today, [it] was the maximum we could have done,” he said. “Of course, massive congrats to Max and Red Bull for the incredible weekend and on our side, a lot of work to do.
“Of course, you know, we’ve been struggling a bit more than usual but still really, really happy to come away with it too.”
READ MORE – F1 2026 Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia – Race Results
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