Mercedes employed an unusual but perfectly legal technique during qualifying at Silverstone, asking its drivers to briefly lift off the throttle near the finish line in order to maximize electrical energy deployment around the demanding British circuit. The strategy, which was visible during both Friday’s Sprint Qualifying and Saturday’s Q3 session with Andrea Kimi Antonelli and George Russell, has now been confirmed by the championship leader himself.
Although the technique may appear counterintuitive at first glance, it allows the Mercedes W17 to extract the maximum possible performance from its battery. By carefully managing electrical deployment until almost the end of the lap before abruptly cutting the electric assistance, the drivers are able to optimize the overall energy balance and gain valuable performance over the course of the lap.
Andrea Kimi Antonelli confirms it was intentional
After securing an impressive pole position for the British Grand Prix, Andrea Kimi Antonelli was asked about the unusual challenge of deliberately lifting off the throttle while approaching a flat-out section of the circuit. His answer confirmed the explanations that had emerged over the previous hours regarding Mercedes’ clever—but entirely regulation-compliant—approach to energy management.
“It wasn’t easy. I think I managed to do it in Q3,” Kimi Antonelli said. “It’s definitely complicated because sometimes you have to drive this power unit in a way that feels a little unnatural. Sometimes you delay getting back on the throttle, so you carry more speed through the high-speed section. You might lose a little speed on corner exit, but then you recover it because, by delaying the point where you accelerate, you have more energy available further down the straight.”
The Italian also admitted that adapting to this driving style initially felt strange, especially because it goes against a racing driver’s natural instincts. What first appears to be sacrificing performance actually becomes an advantage once the power unit’s energy deployment is fully understood.
“It’s definitely difficult, and the work we did in the simulator was extremely important to make this kind of technique become natural. At first you ask yourself, ‘Why do I have to lift off the throttle?’ Sometimes it’s quite complicated, but together with the team we prepared a lot, and now it has become almost second nature.”
Antonelli’s explanation offers a fascinating insight into the complexity of Formula 1’s current hybrid power units, where outright speed is no longer determined solely by keeping the throttle fully open. Instead, intelligent energy management and carefully rehearsed driving techniques can make the difference between the front row and pole position.
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