(Motorsport-Total.com) – Kimi Antonelli remains optimistic about the further course of the Formula 1 title fight despite recent setbacks. The young Mercedes driver lost a large part of his lead in the drivers’ standings over the past three race weekends but still sees the development of his performance positively.
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Before the next race weekend in Spa, Antonelli’s lead over his teammate George Russell is still 25 points. Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton is 32 points behind the Italian and thus ranks third in the drivers’ standings.
While Antonelli often had difficulties keeping up with the front during the European phase of last season, he presents himself much stronger this year. Both in Barcelona and Silverstone, the Mercedes driver was among the fastest drivers on the grid. Nevertheless, he fell far short of his actual possibilities in both races.
At the Barcelona Grand Prix, Antonelli retired while lying in second place due to a power unit failure. In Silverstone, his race was initially affected by a damaged wheel cover. Later, he also received a five-second time penalty for repeatedly ignoring track limits, which ultimately saw him finish 15th without points.
More than just a damaged wheel cover?
“I don’t know how much downforce I lost, but the car just wouldn’t turn anymore,” Antonelli explained after the race. “In some corners, the wheel was even in the air, so something fundamental must have been broken.”
After the race, the Mercedes driver also expressed the suspicion that the damaged wheel cover might not have been the only cause of the massive problems:
“I now know that the wheel cover is broken, but we don’t know if anything else was damaged because the loss of performance felt like more than just a broken wheel cover,” Antonelli said. “Of course, the team will now have more time to analyze everything, but it’s a shame because we had a chance to win today. I think we could have fought for the win.”
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Where Kimi Antonelli lost the most points in the 2026 world championship battle
Despite the numerous setbacks, Antonelli tried until the end to at least secure a world championship point. “I have shown that I have the attitude to give my best every time I go on track. I always try to give everything, even today, although so much was already against us,” he said.
“I saw that there was still a chance to get a point, and I tried everything to achieve that. I would have succeeded, but then the safety car came out, and I didn’t even have the chance to try anymore,” Antonelli continued.
Pace still gives Antonelli hope
Despite the lost points, Antonelli sees no reason for concern. From his point of view, the speed shown indicates that Mercedes and he himself are still on the right track. A second place was already within reach in Barcelona. In Austria, team boss Toto Wolff described the Italian as the driver with the strongest race pace, and a win also seemed possible in Silverstone.
“We lost many points, but the momentum is still there because we showed our speed this weekend,” Antonelli emphasized optimistically. “We have shown what potential is there when I feel comfortable and when we as a team have the car in good shape. Then we have shown what we are capable of.”
Therefore, the Mercedes driver is confident going into the analysis of the problems from Silverstone. This should lay the foundation to convert the existing potential into a top result again at the next Grand Prix in Spa-Francorchamps.
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