F1 star Kimi Antonelli stunned after being told his real Bahrain Grand Prix grid position

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Kimi Antonelli

Kimi Antonelli stunned after being told his real Bahrain Grand Prix grid position

Who knew!

Chris Deeley Editor

Experienced sports writer covering F1 and other motorsports since 2023

Saturday 3 October 2026 20:02

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It's tricky being an F1 driver. You've got all sorts of things on the go at any one time, and it's all happening at 200mph.

Usually, though, they do at least know where they'll be starting on the grid by the time they're out of the car and speaking to the media. Not so for young Kimi Antonelli in Sepang this Saturday.

The championship leader set the fourth fastest time in Q3 for the Malaysia-based Bahrain Grand Prix, but a preexisting grid penalty for Red Bull's Isack Hadjar – who set the third fastest time of the session – means that Antonelli will start from third on the grid.

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The young Italian, however, either didn't know Hadjar was the driver in front of him or didn't know about the Red Bull driver's penalty, clearly surprised in a post-session interview to hear that he'll start further forward than expected.

F1 HEADLINES: FIA punish Hamilton and Ferrari as British star handed 30-place grid penalty

Antonelli surprised in interview

Interviewer Lawrence Barretto mentioned that despite what appeared to be a tricky session, third on the grid is still a solid starting point to build from in the race, with Antonelli replying: "Yeah, I mean it's... you know, definitely... Oh wait, I'm starting P3 tomorrow?"

Informed that, yes, Hadjar's penalty for taking a new internal combustion engine outside of his allotted four for the season, he said: "Oh! Oh, that's not too bad!"

"I think we have a good opportunity tomorrow starting on the clean side," he added, once he knew his starting position. "But I still believe that Red Bull still has the upper edge on pace and Ferrari is very close. But we'll do our best. I think track position is going to be very important.

"We'll try to manage those tyres the best way as possible. And then try to, if we can fight for the win, great. If we have to settle for P2 or P3, we'll take that."

F1 Starting Grid - 2026 Bahrain Grand Prix

The final starting grid, now officially confirmed by the FIA, is as follows:

F1 Grid - Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia
Pos	Driver	Team
1	Max Verstappen	Red Bull
2	Lewis Hamilton	Ferrari
3	Kimi Antonelli	Mercedes
4	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari
5	Lando Norris	McLaren
6	Oscar Piastri	McLaren
7	George Russell	Mercedes
8	*Isack Hadjar	Red Bull
9	Pierre Gasly	Alpine
10	Gabriel Bortoleto	Audi
11	Liam Lawson	Racing Bulls
12	Fernando Alonso	Aston Martin
13	Carlos Sainz	Williams
14	Lance Stroll	Aston Martin
15	Nico Hulkenberg	Audi
16	Oliver Bearman	Haas
17	Esteban Ocon	Haas
18	Alexander Albon	Williams
19	Valtteri Bottas	Cadillac
20	Sergio Perez	Cadillac
21	**Franco Colapinto	Alpine
22	***Arvid Lindblad	Racing Bulls

*Isack Hadjar has a five-place grid penalty due to taking a new internal combustion engine (ICE).

**Franco Colapinto has a 15-place grid penalty, ten due to taking a new internal combustion engine (ICE) and five for causing a collision at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix last time out

***Arvid Lindblad has a 30-place grid penalty due to multiple changes to his power unit.

Written by

Chris Deeley - Editor

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F1 Mercedes Kimi Antonelli Bahrain Grand Prix