Antonelli wins again, but Mercedes still battling major start issues
Kimi Antonelli has completed the hat-trick. Pole position and victory once again in Miami after previous successes in China and Japan, with the nineteen-year-old Italian now holding a twenty-point advantage over teammate George Russell in the championship standings. The numbers speak clearly: the Bologna-born driver is currently the standout performer of the Formula 1 season.
And yet, inside Mercedes, there remains a growing feeling that something is still missing. Three results close to perfection may tell one story, but behind them lies a problem that has haunted Toto Wolff’s team ever since the opening race in Australia: race starts.
Mercedes repeating the same problem race after race
Even at the Miami International Autodrome, Antonelli’s third consecutive pole position immediately turned into a disadvantage by the first corner. Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen both launched better than Kimi when the lights went out, with the Italian even running wide into Turn 1 while trying to recover after another poor getaway.
It was far from an isolated case. In every Formula 1 race of the 2026 season, Mercedes has lost the lead into the first corner despite starting from pole position. A negative trend that Toto Wolff described in very direct terms as “unacceptable.”
At Brackley, however, there is awareness that the team has been able to survive these mistakes thanks to superior race pace and a championship that has so far remained extremely compact during the opening stages of races. But the disadvantage needs to be reduced quickly.
As rival teams continue introducing upgrades and overtaking becomes increasingly difficult, recovering positions lost at the start will become far less straightforward. This is precisely why Wolff raised his voice after Miami:
“The gaps are not large enough for us to simply manage the situation. We cannot keep getting the starts wrong every time.”
Different causes, same disappointing outcome
What makes the problem even more frustrating for Mercedes is the fact that the reasons behind the poor starts have changed almost every weekend.
In Australia, neither Russell nor Antonelli managed to warm up the tyres correctly during the reconnaissance lap because they had already reached battery recharge limits. In China, Antonelli started with a depleted battery pack after incorrect energy management during the formation lap, later admitting that he was also distracted while trying to defend from the Ferraris.
In Japan, Kimi’s overly aggressive clutch release created excessive wheelspin, while Russell was affected by a technical issue.
In Miami, meanwhile, the problem had a different and more operational nature. Mercedes provided Antonelli with a clutch target based on a grip estimate that proved overly optimistic. The actual grip level was lower than expected, once again producing wheelspin off the line.
The situation became even more complicated because all of Antonelli’s practice starts had been completed on the clean side of the circuit, whereas pole position was located on the dirty side of the track. On top of that, Kimi was unable to fully rehearse clutch bite procedures at the end of practice due to another technical issue that forced Mercedes to stop running early.
Wolff, however, refused to search for excuses:
“The truth is that we are not doing a good enough job. We are not giving the drivers a car capable of starting properly. Whether it is the clutch or the grip estimates, we are the only ones unable to solve it. We need to do more.”
The MGU-H factor and Antonelli’s self-criticism
Part of Mercedes’ difficulty is also linked to a structural challenge created by the new Formula 1 regulations. The removal of the MGU-H from the power units has made turbocharger management during race starts significantly more difficult for everyone on the grid.
At the same time, however, not every team has suffered equally. Ferrari appears to have found an effective solution thanks to a more compact turbo capable of delivering almost optimal launch performance in most conditions. McLaren also made major progress after the April break, particularly regarding start performance.
Mercedes — unlike several direct rivals — did not introduce major upgrades in Florida and now faces a double challenge heading into Canada. The team must not only validate the effectiveness of the new package scheduled for Montreal, but also finally understand whether it has solved the persistent launch issues.
“Sometimes upgrades do not immediately translate into performance,” Wolff cautioned, “but it will be up to us to prove the effectiveness of the new package on track.”
Antonelli himself did not attempt to hide behind his results.
“A little better compared to the previous races, but still not acceptable,” Kimi explained after Sunday’s victory.
The young Italian also showed considerable self-criticism:
“I’m not consistent either, especially with clutch release. I still haven’t found the right confidence and I remain uncertain. It is definitely an area where I need to improve.”
Those are the words of a driver fully aware of his own margins for growth despite three consecutive victories. The same maturity also emerged when discussing the championship itself:
“This is only the beginning. The road is still very long.”
Wolff echoed that message, urging the entire Mercedes environment not to become overwhelmed by enthusiasm:
“The most important thing is not getting carried away. Kimi has a very competitive teammate who was not satisfied with this weekend. It is better to keep our feet on the ground.”
The championship remains long, rival teams continue developing aggressively, and Mercedes still has an important weakness to solve. Winning while hiding a major problem is not a sustainable strategy — and Brackley knows it very well.
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