Antonelli: Mercedes No Longer the Fastest Car in F1
Al Jazeera English
Championship leader Kimi Antonelli admits Mercedes no longer has the fastest car after McLaren took victory at the Dutch GP, with the team now aiming to maximize points while managing development. Despite the setback, Mercedes still leads the constructors' standings, though Antonelli faces a grid penalty at his home Italian GP due to an engine change.
Mercedes no longer has the fastest car in Formula 1, championship leader Kimi Antonelli admitted after the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort on Sunday.
McLaren's defending champion Lando Norris claimed his second consecutive win from pole at Zandvoort, while Antonelli and Mercedes teammate George Russell finished second and third, ahead of the Ferrari duo of Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc.
“Clearly we are no longer the fastest car on track,” said Antonelli, who won five consecutive races earlier in the season. “We are probably only second or third, at least in today's race, and McLaren have made a huge step forward, especially since Hungary, from the big upgrade package they brought.”
However, Norris, who lost position to Antonelli in the restart and then had to overtake on track, questioned that assessment.
“I don't think that's true. I think if I hadn't overtaken Kimi when I did, I wouldn't have won the race,” he said. “This time, I'll give myself a bit of credit that I feel I'm doing a better job than everyone else, and I think that can also make a difference.”
“We certainly have a car now that is capable of beating them… but I think they have a more complete car than us.”
Zandvoort, and Hungary before it, are tracks that suit McLaren, but some upcoming circuits could be less favorable. Ferrari is tipped to perform well at their home GP in Monza next month, with upgrades planned, while Antonelli faces a significant grid penalty due to an engine change.
A tougher race
Mercedes still leads Ferrari and McLaren in the constructors' standings, and they scored more points – 46 compared to 43 for McLaren and 31 for Ferrari – than anyone else over the weekend.
“We have a strong car in some areas. It's not like last year when we were pretty good everywhere,” Norris said. “We are very, very strong in high-speed, and that's where we improved the car the most, high-speed performance. No one can match us in high-speed, which is good.”
“But the advantage they [Mercedes] have over us in slow-speed is crazy too. And so, I don't have the confidence to say 'yes, I can easily fight for the championship for the rest of the season'.”
“I know I just won two in a row and had two poles in a row, but I don't have the car I need right now to fight for the championship,” added the British driver, who trails Antonelli by 83 points with 11 races remaining unless Middle East circumstances force schedule changes.
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff said cost cap constraints mean Mercedes doesn't have the funds to bring car development as fast as they would like.
“We are trying to distribute that evenly across the season based on our calculations of when we can bring the biggest upgrades and optimize championship points,” he told reporters. “So the races have been a bit harder than at the beginning of the year.”
McLaren's team principal Andrea Stella said he expects Mercedes to speed up their car development regardless.
“I'm sure their car in the wind tunnel is quite a bit faster than the car they have on track,” the Italian said. “And they will want to translate part of that potential into upgrades that can be applied to the actual car. I'm pretty sure they will have an upgrade.”
Antonelli to face grid penalty at home GP
Antonelli, who turns 20 next Tuesday, faces another obstacle in his bid to become the youngest F1 champion in history.
He will take a hefty grid penalty at his home Italian GP in two weeks as Mercedes plans to change engine parts to guard against potential reliability issues in the second half of the season. That will push Antonelli over the allowed limit of critical components for the year.
“Our theory, our calculations say that's the best track to take the penalty. Obviously, our algorithms don't factor in nationality,” Wolff said. “We are here to fight for the championship, not for PR, so that's what we will do.”
Monza is a high-speed circuit where the Mercedes engine is likely to be strong, and overtaking is relatively easy, giving Antonelli a chance to improve his position. He has accepted the decision.
“I think it will still give me the chance to have a good result and bring home important points,” he said.
