After the Brazilian Grand Prix, Mercedes engineer Simone Resta commented on the condition of Kimi Antonelli’s car following the contact with Oscar Piastri and Charles Leclerc during the restart on lap six. The incident, which forced Charles Leclerc to retire and damaged several cars involved, raised some doubts about the state of the young Italian driver’s Mercedes, which still crossed the finish line in second place.
Simone Resta explained that the team does not yet have a complete picture of the situation concerning car number 7. “To be honest, we still don’t know,” said Resta. “On Sunday evening the time available is very limited to take the cars apart, run checks, and prepare them for shipping to the next circuit.”
The Mercedes of Kimi Antonelli in Brazil was damaged: Resta’s explanation
“We have already carried out some checks and more will follow with NDT tests, meaning non-destructive testing, to understand what happened. Kimi immediately reported some vibrations and an unusual feeling with the car, and he mentioned the same thing even after the race. So we believe there might be something, but we still don’t know exactly what or how serious it is,” Resta added.
When asked whether the contact could have influenced Kimi Antonelli’s performance, the engineer replied cautiously. “It’s possible, but not in a significant way, because we didn’t see a major difference in competitiveness between the Sprint and the main race,” he explained.
According to Resta, Kimi Antonelli’s Mercedes maintained a consistent performance level throughout the weekend. If a structural issue is confirmed, it might have slightly affected the car’s cornering behaviour. “There could have been a small effect, but nothing major. Only a detailed analysis will tell us for sure whether the car suffered any hidden damage,” the Italian engineer clarified.
Despite the contact and the vibrations he reported, Kimi Antonelli finished the race in second place behind Lando Norris, confirming both his strong form and the competitiveness of the Mercedes team. The engineers will examine the car thoroughly in the coming days before sending it to Las Vegas, where Mercedes will aim to maintain the positive momentum shown in recent races.
The Brazilian Grand Prix therefore left some technical questions open, but also confirmed that Kimi Antonelli and Mercedes can continue to fight among the front-runners in what promises to be an intense and closely contested end to the Formula 1 season.
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