Antonelli delivers his best weekend of the year: “result of a process started weeks ago”
Kimi Antonelli was the highlight for Mercedes at the end of the Brazilian GP, producing an impeccable weekend with consistently high performance from Friday through the checkered flag on Sunday. Twice, in both the Sprint and main race, the Italian secured a front-row starting position and held it until the finish. “Kimi delivered really strong performances,” said Simone Resta when reviewing the weekend. “We believe his results stem from the work we’ve done with him after some European races, focusing on preparation, concentration, pre-event work, simulator sessions, and involving him more in weekend planning. Focusing him more on technical aspects rather than other activities is clearly paying off. These results are the fruit of a process started weeks ago.”
In the early stages of the GP, Kimi Antonelli was caught in a braking incident caused by Oscar Piastri, which triggered a chain contact with Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari. While Charles Leclerc suffered the worst, Kimi Antonelli was fortunate to avoid major damage, as confirmed by his performance throughout the remainder of the race. “We’re not exactly sure if it affected his performance,” Simone Resta said about the incident, “but in any case, the impact was minimal since we didn’t notice a significant difference in competitiveness between the Sprint and main race.”
Antonelli edges out Russell: “marginal differences, boosted by specific conditions”
Kimi Antonelli’s progress was further highlighted by his ability to outperform teammate George Russell, who struggled more to find the optimal rhythm. “The difference between them was small, considering the race lasted about an hour and a half and the gap was just a few seconds,” Resta explained. “These were marginal differences between the two cars. On many occasions, George has been slightly faster than Kimi, but in these particular conditions, it was the opposite, though the gap remained small.”
Discussing car setup, Resta added: “We decided to be slightly aggressive with brake cooling for qualifying, approaching the limit, but everything remained manageable. Lift and Coast in the race? We believe it didn’t significantly affect performance.”
During Saturday’s qualifying, Russell’s decision to attempt his Q3 lap on Medium tires stood out as he was the only one of the top ten not on Softs. “George wasn’t finding the right feel with the Soft, so he tried the new Mediums. In previous races, the Medium had been competitive, so we wanted to try that option. It didn’t go perfectly [P6], but it was close.” In the race, Mercedes opted for different tire strategies at the start, with the two drivers on varying approaches. “Kimi started on Softs, George on Mediums, then switched to Softs in the middle stint. This was to avoid any undercut risk and maximize Kimi’s performance with Mediums at the end.”
Looking ahead to Las Vegas: “confidence high but hard to predict”
Thanks to their results in Brazil, Mercedes has reclaimed second place in the constructors’ championship. The team capitalized on Ferrari’s double retirement and Red Bull’s imperfect weekend to build a solid points cushion (+32 over Red Bull and +36 over Ferrari). Confidence is further boosted by the upcoming Las Vegas GP, where Mercedes dominated last year with a one-two finish. “It’s hard to set realistic expectations for our performance,” said Simone Resta when discussing the next round. “Comparing last year to this year, the races we’ve won differ between seasons, so predictions are tricky. Nevertheless, we’re more motivated than ever, both drivers are confident, and we’ll aim to maximize our performance.”
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