Kimi Antonelli sets his sights on a bold undercut strategy in F1 Malaysia.

Kimi Antonelli will line up third on the Bahrain Grand Prix grid due to Isack Hadjar's five-place grid penalty. However, following Mercedes' introduction of a comprehensive seven-piece upgrade package at Sepang, the driver's expectations have soared prior to taking the wheel. He is now counting on leveraging the potential of the significant undercut this track may present.

Antonelli appeared to be the frontrunner after what seemed to be a robust FP3 session. But qualifying took a turn for both him and his teammate as a straight-line speed disadvantage and tyre issues enabled Max Verstappen, Lewis Hamilton, and Hadjar to ascend the timing sheet.

Antonelli concluded his Saturday half a second shy of Verstappen, while George Russell crossed the line in eighth (seventh after Hadjar's penalty).

"It's significantly better than I anticipated," he conceded. "Especially considering we had only one set of new tyres; it wasn’t easy, and I obviously made a mistake with the track limits, understeering off the circuit."

"But I believe with a clean qualifying, I could have been around P2, maybe P3, but definitely not P1. Max was just a bit too fast for us today."

Mercedes still uncertain about the new package

There remains ambiguity surrounding Mercedes' new upgrades—an issue that team principal Toto Wolff has also acknowledged. The abrasive surface and extreme heat at Sepang have made it challenging for the Silver Arrows drivers to establish a reliable comparison with their previous knowledge.

"There’s certainly a lot we need to learn about this package," Antonelli added. "The track isn’t helping either because the surface is so coarse and the heat quickly pushes the tyres out of their [operating] windows after just a couple of corners."

"So we find ourselves sliding around, which complicates our understanding of this package. We have a significant opportunity tomorrow to secure valuable points and hopefully challenge for the victory, and I will give it my all."

Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes

With the grid arrangement varied for the race ahead, Antonelli is optimistic about leveraging strategy to compensate for any shortcomings in his car's race performance.

"I believe strategy will play a crucial role. This will be a race where we will be aggressive because the undercut is extremely effective, so I think whenever there's a chance, we should aim for an undercut and try to make the most of our opportunities."

"Tomorrow might involve two stops, three stops; we can’t say for sure, but one thing is clear: it’s going to be sweltering out there."