Why Antonelli was ‘a bit stressed’ on Silverstone pole lap

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What is F1 TV?F1 GlossaryGet involved2026 RegulationsNewsVideosTsolov’s final lap overtake earns him F2 Sprint Race winAntonelli seizes pole position in British GP QualifyingUgochukwu claims dominant Silverstone F3 Sprint Race winNorris looks back on 'very good job' in Silverstone SprintPlay1:44'We're in a pickle' - Norris disappointed as 'best lap by half a second' only worth P6 in British GP Qualifying 0:322026 British GP Qualifying: Antonelli secures pole position Alexander AlbonFernando AlonsoKimi AntonelliOliver BearmanGabriel BortoletoValtteri BottasFranco ColapintoPierre GaslyIsack HadjarLewis HamiltonNico HulkenbergLiam LawsonCharles LeclercArvid LindbladLando NorrisEsteban OconSergio PerezOscar PiastriGeorge RussellCarlos SainzLance StrollMax VerstappenAll Drivers Hall of FameTeamsChevron DropdownAlpineAston MartinAudiCadillacFerrariHaas F1 TeamMcLarenMercedesRacing BullsRed Bull RacingWilliamsAll TeamsFantasy & GamingChevron DropdownF1 Sim RacingFantasyF1 25F1 Manager 24F1 PredictF1 ClashF1 Members' AreaMenuFIA if(window.f1MobileDetection.iOSSafari) { var meta = document.createElement("meta"); meta.name = "apple-itunes-app"; meta.content = "app-id=835022598, app-argument=https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/antonelli-explains-why-he-was-a-bit-stressed-on-silverstone-pole-lap-as-he-assesses-race-prospects.4a2UVTMuso3T9bgMk83RQs.4a2UVTMuso3T9bgMk83RQs"; document.head.appendChild(meta); } {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/antonelli-explains-why-he-was-a-bit-stressed-on-silverstone-pole-lap-as-he-assesses-race-prospects.4a2UVTMuso3T9bgMk83RQs","url":"https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/antonelli-explains-why-he-was-a-bit-stressed-on-silverstone-pole-lap-as-he-assesses-race-prospects.4a2UVTMuso3T9bgMk83RQs","mainEntityOfPage":"https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/antonelli-explains-why-he-was-a-bit-stressed-on-silverstone-pole-lap-as-he-assesses-race-prospects.4a2UVTMuso3T9bgMk83RQs","datePublished":"2026-07-04T17:23:10.194Z","dateModified":"2026-07-04T17:23:10.194Z","headline":"Kimi Antonelli explains why he was ‘a bit stressed’ on Silverstone pole lap as he assesses race prospects","author":"F1","description":"Kimi Antonelli will again start from pole position at the British Grand Prix, but the Mercedes driver has admitted that he had some concerns during Qualifying.","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://media.formula1.com/image/upload/t_16by9North/f_auto/q_auto/v1783184330/trackside-images/2026/F1_Grand_Prix_of_Great_Britain___Sprint__Qualifying/2284639541.jpg"},"isAccessibleForFree":"true","publisher":{"@type":"SportsOrganization","@id":"https://www.formula1.com#organization","name":"Formula 1","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://www.formula1.com/etc/designs/fom-website/social/f1-default-share.jpg","width":"480","height":"120"}}}Kimi AntonelliMercedesGreat BritainShow more tagsAntonelli explains why he was ‘a bit stressed’ on Silverstone pole lap as he assesses race prospectsKimi Antonelli will again start from pole position at the British Grand Prix, but the Mercedes driver has admitted that he had some concerns during Qualifying. Kimi Antonelli has conceded that he was “a bit stressed” ahead of his pole-setting lap in Qualifying at the British Grand Prix, despite going on to secure his fifth P1 Sunday grid slot of the season. Having claimed provisional pole during the first laps of Q1, Antonelli had to keep his rivals at bay on the final runs – but the Italian appeared concerned when he was sent out on track first, leading him to question Race Engineer Pete Bonnington about why this was. Despite his worries, the Mercedes driver went even quicker on his decisive effort with a lap of 1m 28.111s, a time that would prove unbeatable to his competitors. His nearest challenger was Charles Leclerc, who will line up in P2 on the grid ahead of Ferrari team mate Lewis Hamilton. Asked after the session about the lap – and about his concerned radio message ahead of that final run – Antonelli explained: “I was a bit stressed because I never really like going first for the last run. “But yeah, the last lap was very tidy, I have to be honest. It all came together. It was very tricky with the wind because it was very gusty and unpredictable. But yeah, we built our way through Qualifying, and to bring home pole is very satisfying.” The 19-year-old was also quizzed on whether the team had made many alterations to the car in the gap between the Sprint and Qualifying. “No, we didn’t change the car at all,” he answered. “It was just about the differential, brake migration, and driving. We worked around it and managed to find a good setting that helped me to progress through Qualifying.” Looking ahead to Sunday’s race, Antonelli acknowledged that he remained wary of the threat posed by the Ferrari pair. “For sure. It’s not going to be easy,” the championship leader admitted. “I’ve got two Ferraris behind me, and for sure they’re going to work together. “But their pace is good, and ours was strong in the Sprint race. So hopefully we can keep that tomorrow, and hopefully we can do a good race.” F1FacebookXInstagramYouTube© 2003-2026 Formula One World Championship Limited