MONTMELO, Spain — Formula 1 points leader Kimi Antonelli will face the toughest test of his breakout season at Sunday’s Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix after he managed only the third-best time in qualifying Saturday.
The 19-year-old Italian will now have to find a way past pole-sitter George Russell, his Mercedes teammate, as well as a resurgent Lewis Hamilton, to make it six GP wins in a row this season.
Antonelli’s spectacular streak includes four victories from pole position and one from a second-place start. Now, though, he is off the front row in the starting grid for the first time this year.
“I am not really happy, I’m struggling with the feeling of the car,” Antonelli said as he faces the first dip in performance since becoming the sensation of F1.
The good news for Antonelli is he can afford to not take the full 25 points for a race victory, having already tallied 156 points after just six races. Ferrari’s Hamilton is next with 90, while Russell has 88.