The race weekend currently underway at the iconic Spa-Francorchamps circuit in Belgium has brought nothing but disappointment for young Italian racing driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli. The Mercedes junior appeared visibly disheartened during post-session interviews, following a series of challenging performances in both qualifying sessions and the Sprint race.
On Friday, during the Sprint Qualifying session, Andrea Kimi Antonelli made a minor mistake in Q1 which resulted in an early elimination. Unfortunately, his performance did not improve during the main qualifying session that set the grid for Sunday’s Belgian Grand Prix, as he once again failed to make progress and will start from the back of the field.
The struggles experienced by Andrea Kimi Antonelli reflect broader difficulties within the Mercedes team, with George Russell only managing the sixth-fastest lap time—finishing six-tenths of a second behind the pole-sitter and even being outpaced by the Williams of Alexander Albon. Despite the difference in final results between the two Mercedes drivers, both were vocal about the current limitations of the W16 single-seater, which has proven difficult to handle and unpredictable in its behavior on track.
Andrea Kimi Antonelli: “This car forces me to change how I drive. I’ll start from the pit lane”
Andrea Kimi Antonelli showed visible signs of frustration—almost to the point of tears—when he faced the media after Saturday’s qualifying session. His weekend in the Ardennes has so far followed the same difficult pattern as other European races this season. The W16, which remains inconsistent and unstable, has made it particularly hard for the young Italian driver to build confidence and find the right rhythm behind the wheel.
After being knocked out in Q1 during Sprint Qualifying and finishing only seventeenth in the Sprint race, Kimi Antonelli could do no better than eighteenth place in qualifying for Sunday’s Grand Prix.
“I’m really lacking confidence, to be honest,” the 17-year-old Mercedes talent admitted in an interview with Sky Sport. “I’m struggling a lot to get the most out of this car. This is a very difficult moment for me. We just need to find some light at the end of the tunnel.”
The core of Antonelli’s problems appears to stem from a car that is particularly hard to interpret and control, especially during corner entry. He explained, “Lately, the car has become extremely nervous when entering corners, and with the way I drive, that’s causing me major issues. I can never carry the speed I want, and that basically forces me to change my driving style completely. And that obviously makes me slower.”
Continuing in the same tone, Andrea Kimi Antonelli added: “Today I felt even less confident than I did yesterday. I struggled to find the same feeling with the car.”
The overall picture painted by the Mercedes junior driver is far from optimistic. However, he did confirm that the team would attempt something different in terms of car setup ahead of Sunday’s main race—especially given the high likelihood of rain during the Belgian Grand Prix.
“Rain could definitely be an opportunity,” Antonelli commented when asked about his expectations for the race. “We’ll make some changes to the setup of the car, and I’ll be starting from the pit lane,” he revealed. “First, we need to assess the track conditions tomorrow, but yes, we’re going to make some modifications, and then we’ll see how it goes. If it does rain, it will definitely create more chances to have a strong race.”
George Russell: “So far, this season has been a tale of two halves—we need to understand why”
The only slightly encouraging sign for the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team from Saturday’s qualifying session was the sixth-place grid position secured by British driver George Russell.
“That was definitely the maximum I could do today,” George Russell told reporters in the post-session media interviews. “All of my laps were really strong, but it’s clear that as a team, we’ve taken a big step backward this weekend—and we honestly don’t know why.”
While Russell’s result was better than Antonelli’s, the Mercedes driver echoed the same concern regarding the lack of feeling and performance from the W16. One theory Russell offered relates to changing temperatures.
“With lower track temperatures in Q1, I might’ve been eliminated early, and even in Q3 I could’ve ended up tenth,” he noted. “So, without a doubt, sixth place was the best result possible.”
Looking ahead to the race, George Russell added: “I don’t think we’ll be able to replicate what happened last year—especially because it’s going to be wet tomorrow,” he commented, referring to his Belgian Grand Prix win in 2024 (which was later nullified due to a post-race disqualification).
“But anything can happen in Formula 1. We’re trying to focus on the positives, even if we need to sit down as a team and evaluate why we managed to take four podiums in the first six races, and only one in the last six.”
Leave a Reply