Mercedes has revealed that tyre temperature problems were responsible for the unpredictable handling that derailed Andrea Kimi Antonelli’s hopes of winning the 2026 Brazilian Grand Prix. The newly crowned Formula 1 world champion initially led comfortably at Interlagos, but his W17 became increasingly difficult to control after switching to soft tyres. Bradley Lord, Mercedes’ deputy team principal, has explained why both Andrea Kimi Antonelli and George Russell struggled despite the team securing its ninth constructors’ championship.
Mercedes achieved its championship objective in Brazil on the only weekend of the season when neither W17 finished on the podium. Fourth and fifth places were enough to secure the title, but the race exposed significant difficulties with the car’s behaviour as weather conditions changed throughout the afternoon.
Kimi Antonelli loses Brazilian GP lead after Mercedes W17 handling problems
Starting second on the grid, Andrea Kimi Antonelli made an excellent getaway to take the lead from pole-sitter Lando Norris. The Italian made the most of the superior grip available on his side of the starting grid, surprising the McLaren driver and moving ahead in the opening moments.
Once in front, Andrea Kimi Antonelli established a healthy advantage over Lando Norris during the first 15 laps. The race was characterised by highly changeable weather conditions, with drivers starting on intermediate tyres, switching to slicks and eventually returning to wet-weather compounds.
For a while, the recently crowned world champion appeared to be heading towards his tenth victory of the season. However, the situation changed dramatically after his pit stop on lap 18, when Mercedes fitted soft tyres in response to an attempted undercut from Lando Norris.
Almost immediately, Andrea Kimi Antonelli began noticing unusual behaviour from his black-and-silver Mercedes W17. The Italian reported over the radio that the car was pulling to one side under braking, making it extremely difficult to drive.
Just two laps later, Andrea Kimi Antonelli spun into the run-off area at Turn 1. The incident cost him the lead to Lando Norris, while the Mercedes driver could no longer reproduce the pace he had demonstrated during the opening stint.
From that point onwards, Andrea Kimi Antonelli was forced to adapt his driving to the W17’s unpredictable handling, with the car behaving differently from one lap to the next. The difficulties were particularly frustrating after the strong pace he had shown earlier in the race.
George Russell also struggles as Mercedes secures constructors’ title
Conditions at Interlagos had already appeared more challenging than usual before the race began. Andrea Kimi Antonelli had gone off the circuit at the slippery Turn 12 without consequences, providing an early indication of the difficulties awaiting the drivers.
Similar problems also affected George Russell, who spun at the exit of the pit lane. The British driver nevertheless managed to recover several positions and eventually finished fourth, ahead of Andrea Kimi Antonelli, who crossed the line in fifth place, 41 seconds behind his team-mate.
The considerable gap underlined how dramatically the race had changed for Mercedes. Although the team celebrated the constructors’ championship, neither driver was able to maintain the level of performance demonstrated during the strongest phases of the weekend.
The result also provided another example of the challenges facing George Russell during a season in which Toto Wolff has addressed his difficulties relative to Andrea Kimi Antonelli.
Kimi Antonelli feared a mechanical problem after Brazilian GP spin
Following the race, Andrea Kimi Antonelli admitted that he could not understand why the rear of his Mercedes had suddenly lost grip. The Italian had already suspected that something was wrong with the car immediately after switching to soft tyres, initially fearing a possible suspension problem.
“The spin is something I need to analyse because I don’t understand why the rear suddenly gave way like that,” Andrea Kimi Antonelli admitted. “There was no warning, nothing. As soon as I put the soft tyres on, I felt something strange with the car. We need to understand what happened because that’s where we lost the race.”
However, Mercedes’ subsequent analysis established that the issue was not a mechanical failure. Instead, both W17 cars had struggled to cope with the changing weather conditions, particularly the substantial difference in track temperature compared with qualifying.
Although both qualifying and the race were affected by rain, the track surface was approximately 12 degrees Celsius colder during the Grand Prix. The main problem was therefore keeping the tyres within their ideal operating temperature window.
Bradley Lord explains Mercedes tyre temperature problems at Interlagos
Speaking during Mercedes’ regular post-race debrief on the team’s social media channels, deputy team principal Bradley Lord explained that Andrea Kimi Antonelli’s spin also created further complications for the remainder of his stint.
“Kimi flat-spotted all four tyres in the spin on lap 18, and then had to drive an unbalanced car because of the vibrations,” Bradley Lord explained. “We encountered major difficulties when we switched to the soft tyres, and the same happened during the final stint on the intermediates: the car was very difficult to drive, with severe oversteer.”
The problem during the soft-tyre stint was specifically linked to tyre temperatures that were considerably too low. Without sufficient heat in the compounds, the Mercedes drivers struggled to generate consistent grip and maintain predictable handling.
“Both our drivers and several others on the grid feared a mechanical failure, but when we analysed the data, it became clear that the tyre temperatures were too low and the drivers were struggling to bring them back into the operating window,” Bradley Lord continued.
“However, as the track’s moisture levels changed, the tyres moved outside their optimal operating range, producing really strange and unusual car behaviour.”
The most remarkable aspect was the contrast in the W17’s performance depending on tyre temperature. Whenever Andrea Kimi Antonelli managed to bring the tyres into their correct operating window, his Mercedes was effectively the fastest car on the circuit.
However, the car’s behaviour changed abruptly whenever tyre temperatures dropped outside that window, transforming a potentially race-winning package into an extremely difficult machine to control.
Mercedes faces potential repeat of Brazilian GP problems in Las Vegas
The Brazilian Grand Prix has therefore provided Mercedes with an important lesson ahead of the final races of the season. The team’s difficulty maintaining tyre temperatures at Interlagos could become particularly relevant at the next round in Las Vegas.
Temperatures during the night-time Las Vegas Grand Prix weekend are expected to be considerably lower, with forecasts suggesting an average of approximately 5 degrees Celsius. Such conditions could create another significant challenge for Mercedes if the W17 struggles to bring its tyres into the correct operating range.
The importance of tyre temperature management was also evident elsewhere at Interlagos, where Ferrari faced its own tyre pressure and performance problems during the Brazilian Grand Prix.
For Mercedes, the immediate priority will be understanding how to maintain a more consistent tyre operating window as track temperatures and moisture levels change. Although the team has already secured the constructors’ championship, the problems experienced by Andrea Kimi Antonelli and George Russell demonstrate that the W17 remains vulnerable under certain conditions.
With even colder temperatures potentially awaiting in Las Vegas, the issues that cost Andrea Kimi Antonelli a chance of victory at Interlagos could return unless Mercedes finds a way to keep its tyres working consistently.
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