Antonelli makes stark Verstappen admission after Mercedes falls short

The Italian headed into Q3 with only one attempt at his disposal after having a lap time deleted for exceeding track limits in Q2, leaving him without the opportunity for another final push like the other drivers. Although Verstappen ultimately proved untouchable, the championship leader still qualified four positions ahead of his title rival and teammate, who also appeared well off the pace.

Speaking to GPblog among other media after qualifying, the Italian admitted that a track-limits mistake cost him the chance to start higher up the grid, although he conceded that Verstappen's pace was ultimately beyond his reach.

Antonelli also stressed that Mercedes still has plenty to learn about its new package, with Sepang's rough surface and extreme temperatures making it particularly difficult to properly assess the upgrades. Despite those challenges, he remains confident that the team will have an opportunity to fight at the front in the race.

Speaking about the new package and why it has so far failed to deliver the results Mercedes had hoped for, Antonelli explained that the upgrades have changed the car's operating window, leaving the team with more work to do to understand where it can extract the most performance.

The Italian pointed to Mercedes' encouraging pace through the high-speed sections as one of the main positives from the weekend, but admitted that the car has struggled considerably more in the slower corners. Understanding the reasons behind that contrast will now be key to unlocking more from the updated package.

Verstappen believes Red Bull's recent progress has come from a combination of a better understanding of the RB22 and an upgrade package that has successfully addressed some of the weaknesses that had previously limited the car. The Dutchman explained that the new parts have delivered the expected gains, improving both outright lap time and the overall balance of the car.

Those improvements have been particularly valuable at Sepang, where the high temperatures make stability and predictability even more important. With the tyres highly sensitive to changes in balance, having a more connected car has allowed Red Bull to extract additional performance, an area in which Verstappen feels the team has made noticeable progress over the latest race weekend.

The result was Verstappen's first pole position of the season and a return to a familiar scenario at the front of the grid. He will start alongside Lewis Hamilton, with the two former title rivals sharing the front row once again after producing plenty of action from similar starting positions in the past.