Andrea Kimi Antonelli has revealed that he experienced unusual handling problems with his Mercedes W17 after switching to soft tyres during the 2026 Brazilian Grand Prix, leaving him frustrated by a spin that cost him the race lead and a potential victory. The Italian had built a seven-second advantage during the opening stint, but his pace deteriorated after the change from intermediate tyres to slicks. Although Mercedes suspected a tyre warm-up issue, Antonelli believes something more unusual may have affected the rear of his car.
His disappointment came on a historic afternoon for Mercedes, which secured the Formula 1 Constructors’ Championship with three races to spare. While the team celebrated its achievement, Antonelli was left searching for an explanation for the dramatic change in his car’s behaviour.
Andrea Kimi Antonelli loses Brazilian GP lead after dominant opening stint
After overtaking Lando Norris immediately at the start, Andrea Kimi Antonelli appeared to be in an excellent position to win the Brazilian Grand Prix. The Mercedes driver had been the fastest in dry practice, both over a single lap and during longer runs, and was confident that he could also compete strongly in wet conditions.
That confidence initially proved justified. Running on intermediate tyres, Antonelli controlled the opening phase of the race and established a seven-second advantage over his pursuers, led by Norris.
However, the race took an unexpected turn when the drivers switched to dry-weather tyres. Norris’ decision to make his pit stop earlier helped reduce the gap established during the first stint, while Antonelli struggled to match the pace of the leading contenders after fitting soft tyres.
The decisive moment came on lap 20, when the Italian ran wide and spun at Turn 1. Although he managed to recover his W17 and rejoin the circuit, he dropped to second place.
Even without the spin, maintaining the lead would have been difficult. Norris soon pulled away, while Antonelli subsequently lost positions to the Red Bulls of Isack Hadjar and Max Verstappen. The Mercedes driver had already reported problems with his car before the incident.
Mercedes W17 handling problem leaves Antonelli searching for answers
While the Mercedes pit wall initially believed the difficulty was simply a matter of bringing the tyres up to temperature, Antonelli suspected a possible suspension-related issue. He reported that the W17 appeared to pull towards one side even on the straights, while its behaviour through left-hand corners prevented him from remaining competitive.
The balance problems cost him valuable seconds and the opportunity to fight for a victory that had appeared within reach. After the race, the Italian admitted that he was struggling to contain his frustration, even as Mercedes celebrated its championship triumph.
“I’m very disappointed with the race. To be honest, I’m very angry, but I’ll put all that aside for now because the team has won the title,” Antonelli said.
Mercedes’ constructors’ championship came after a season it had largely dominated, particularly before the summer break, and followed Antonelli’s own emotional Drivers’ World Championship triumph in Mexico.
“We’ve won the title for the team. Everyone deserves it, and I’m proud to be part of this group and this team, which has done and continues to do so much for me, and I’m very happy for them. But talking specifically about the race, yes, it’s very disappointing.”
Why Antonelli suspects something unusual happened to his Mercedes
What particularly puzzled Antonelli was the scale of the performance difference between the intermediate and soft tyres. Even after managing to bring the slicks up to temperature, he felt unable to reproduce the pace he had demonstrated in wet conditions.
Car set-up could have been a contributing factor, although his strong performance in Friday’s dry running suggested that the underlying speed was available. The Italian was also surprised by how abruptly the rear of the W17 broke away during the spin, describing the loss of control as almost instantaneous.
“We were in contention for the win up to that point. Even while leading, once I managed to get the tyres up to temperature, I was finding my rhythm. I still need to look at the spin because I don’t know why I lost the rear so quickly.”
“Basically, there was no warning, nothing. But to be honest, as soon as I put the soft tyres on, I felt something unusual with the car. So we need to check what happened, but on the other hand, it’s a shame because that’s where we lost the race.”
Antonelli explained that the handling issue was particularly noticeable through left-hand corners, especially at high speed. This represented a significant disadvantage at Interlagos, where the circuit runs anticlockwise and features several important left-hand turns.
Second set of soft tyres restores pace before fifth-place finish
The spin created further difficulties because the resulting tyre damage severely compromised the car’s performance. However, after switching to a second set of soft tyres, Antonelli’s lap times improved considerably.
He began closing the gap to Isack Hadjar and moved back into contention for third place. Ultimately, though, the Mercedes driver finished fifth, behind team-mate George Russell, after the team instructed him to swap positions and return the place to Russell while they were running on intermediate tyres.
Antonelli believes the unusual behaviour of the rear of the W17 warrants a closer technical inspection, particularly because the problem appeared to affect only corners in one direction.
“We need to check something with the geometry of the car, at the rear, because I only experienced this problem in left-hand corners. So it was especially at high speed that I felt it the most. And the rear felt very unstable, even coming towards the finish line through the left-hand bend, the rear felt very strange.”
“We need to check something on the car to see whether anything happened. But it was a very strange feeling. And then, obviously, when I spun, the tyres were finished; all four wheels were flat-spotted. Only when I put on the second set did we get back to a good pace. But yes, it was a shame.”
For Antonelli, the Brazilian Grand Prix therefore ended with contrasting emotions. Mercedes had secured another major championship success, an achievement also reflecting the work praised by Toto Wolff following the Italian’s title victory, but the driver himself was left disappointed by a missed opportunity.
Whether the handling problems resulted from an underlying technical issue or the interaction between the W17 and the changing conditions remains to be established. What is clear from Antonelli’s account is that the rear instability he experienced after switching to slick tyres was unlike anything he had anticipated, and Mercedes will need to investigate exactly what happened.
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