Kimi Antonelli Remembers Max Verstappen’s ‘Way Too Stressful’ Threat

Kimi Antonelli claims second place in São Paulo, resisting Max Verstappen’s late soft-tyre charge to secure a career-best result in his rookie campaign.

The Mercedes driver holds track position in the closing laps, converting pace discipline and tyre management into a second podium of the season.

Verstappen pits on lap 54 for softs, chasing Antonelli’s older mediums. The gap compresses quickly, but the Red Bull attack ultimately runs out of laps.

Antonelli concedes the pressure is intense once his race engineer, Bono, details Verstappen’s lap times. He tidies up exits and manages deployment to deny a lunge.

The strategy split defines the finale. Interlagos rewards traction and tyre rotation, but softs fade rapidly if over-pushed in turbulent air.

Antonelli stretches the mediums without surrendering critical corner phases, especially through sector three, where track position is most defensible.

For Mercedes, the result supplies validation after uneven weekends. The pit wall backs a conservative one-stop window, trusting Antonelli’s tyre discipline.

That approach proves correct as Verstappen’s pace advantage narrows in traffic and dirty air, reducing overtaking windows on the start-finish DRS.

The broader picture tightens. Lando Norris continues to set the benchmark, Verstappen’s recovery underscores Red Bull’s race-day threat, and Oscar Piastri’s struggles persist.

Las Vegas should suit Mercedes if cooler conditions stabilise tyre temperatures and reduce rear limitation. Antonelli targets incremental gains session by session.

Within the team, he benefits from working alongside George Russell and Lewis Hamilton, accelerating his understanding of car behaviour and setup ranges.

Interlagos provides an emotional backdrop. Strong grandstand support amplifies a composed, error-free drive under sustained pressure.

With few rounds remaining, marginal strategy calls and tyre execution grow decisive. Antonelli’s consistency could prove pivotal in both driver and team battles.

Visual Summary

Fervo Gear