Kimi Antonelli believes Mercedes no longer has the fastest car in Formula 1 and was probably only the second or third-strongest team at Zandvoort, where Lando Norris defeated the championship leader to win the Dutch Grand Prix. Despite that performance shift, Antonelli was delighted to salvage second place from a difficult weekend and extend his advantage in the Drivers’ Championship.
When you no longer have the best car on the grid, there is only one realistic response: maximise every available result while waiting for the major upgrade package that could potentially restore the competitive order seen earlier in the season. That is exactly how Kimi Antonelli is approaching the situation as Mercedes tries to manage the loss of its early-season advantage.
Kimi Antonelli says Mercedes is now second or third-fastest
Fresh from finishing second at Zandvoort, Kimi Antonelli actually managed to increase his advantage over his nearest rivals in the championship despite struggling to find the right feeling with the W17 from the sole free practice session onwards.
Considering the advantage Mercedes enjoyed during the opening races of the season, it is striking that the W17 is now struggling to challenge Lando Norris’s McLaren and, at times, even Ferrari. The Maranello team has nevertheless found it more difficult than expected to translate its potential into qualifying performance.
The evidence from Hungary and the Netherlands has become increasingly difficult to ignore: Mercedes is no longer the benchmark car in Formula 1.
“Clearly, we don’t have the fastest car on the grid anymore. We probably have the second or third-fastest. At least that was the case at Zandvoort,” Kimi Antonelli said after the Dutch Grand Prix.
“And McLaren has made a huge step forward, especially since Hungary, when they brought a big upgrade package.”
That assessment comes after McLaren’s recent development push significantly changed the competitive picture, while Mercedes has been forced to wait longer for its own major response. The shifting balance makes every point increasingly important for Antonelli, who remains at the top of the 2026 Formula 1 driver standings.
Mercedes major W17 upgrade still several races away
Mercedes’ own development package is coming, but Kimi Antonelli and George Russell must wait several more races before they can, at least on paper, return to a stronger version of the W17.
The major package is currently scheduled to arrive when Formula 1 reaches Sepang in Malaysia, with Mercedes working carefully to ensure the new components perform as expected once they are fitted to the car. The timing forms part of the team’s revised W17 development plan for the Malaysian round.
“I have a lot of confidence in Mercedes. The team is working really hard on producing our next upgrade package and they want to make sure that everything works properly when it’s put on the car. So these races will definitely be more difficult for us.”
“It will be a challenge, but we’re ready to do our best and maximise every opportunity. Then hopefully, when it’s our turn to bring the upgrade package, it can give us a big helping hand once again.”
Antonelli admits he could have defended better against Lando Norris
Antonelli did not blame everything on the W17’s reduced competitiveness. The 19-year-old from Bologna also accepted responsibility for several mistakes during the Zandvoort weekend, including errors in both Sprint Qualifying and Grand Prix qualifying.
He was equally self-critical about one of the decisive moments in Sunday’s race, when Lando Norris caught and overtook him to take the lead.
“In the end, second place is a great way to finish a difficult weekend for me, where I struggled to find the right feeling with the car,” Kimi Antonelli said.
“I made a lot of mistakes: in Sprint Qualifying, in qualifying and also in the race, because against Lando I could have defended a little better.”
“There are definitely things I didn’t do well and the feeling wasn’t good either. Nevertheless, the result is very positive.”
Finishing second was therefore an exercise in damage limitation on a weekend when neither driver nor car consistently operated at their best. With McLaren now posing a much greater performance threat, extracting results of that kind could prove crucial while Mercedes waits for its larger development package.
Monza grid penalty puts championship ahead of Antonelli’s home race
Before Mercedes reaches that stage of its aerodynamic development programme, Kimi Antonelli faces another challenge at Monza. The championship leader is set to replace his entire power unit and introduce the specification featuring developments permitted under the ADUO framework.
The change means Antonelli will take a grid penalty in front of his home crowd, potentially compromising his chances of fighting for victory in the Italian Grand Prix. However, he is looking at the bigger picture: winning the Formula 1 World Championship.
Mercedes and Antonelli consider Monza one of the best circuits on which to accept such a penalty. On paper, the Italian track provides several overtaking opportunities, while the W17 should still have enough performance for Antonelli to work his way past much of the field. The reasoning behind the decision is explored further in the team’s Monza power-unit penalty strategy.
“Obviously at Monza I’ll take a penalty because of the introduction of the new power unit, but I still think it’s the best track to do something like this.”
“Of course, it’s my home race and things like that, but I think it’s the best race in which to do it. So I think it can still give me the opportunity to achieve a good result and bring home important points.”
Antonelli therefore heads towards Monza accepting that Mercedes is no longer enjoying the performance advantage it held earlier in 2026. Until the next major W17 package arrives, his priority is straightforward: minimise mistakes, maximise every available opportunity and protect his championship position even on weekends when Mercedes is no longer the car to beat.
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