(Motorsport-Total.com) – According to Toto Wolff, Kimi Antonelli was not to blame for his poor start in the Miami sprint race. “It was a technical error on our side,” said the Mercedes team boss on Sky UK. “It is really difficult.”
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The sprint went anything but smoothly for the championship leader. After his start, the Italian gradually fell back, forcing him to duel with Charles Leclerc or George Russell. After the race, a time penalty for track limits followed, which meant Antonelli was classified sixth in the sprint race.
In an interview with Sky UK, Antonelli spoke about the start procedure after the sprint: “We worked on it during the break and for the first time I did everything right from my side,” the Italian said into the Sky microphone.
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“We have to see what happened. There was hardly any grip, probably much less than we expected. After that, I was very frustrated, didn’t drive well and made many mistakes. Then I also got the track limit penalty, which I have to avoid.”
“But this weekend has been more difficult than expected so far. That’s how it is when everyone brings big updates. Now we have to maximize the result and focus on qualifying.”
On Sky Germany, Antonelli echoed similar sentiments and emphasized: “We didn’t practice starts in FP1 due to a technical problem, so it was hard for us to check the grip conditions on the grid. Of course, that’s unfortunate. I was very frustrated after the start and made many mistakes.”
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Harsh judgment from Timo Glock
Peter Hardenacke and Timo Glock discussed Antonelli’s starts so far in the 2026 season on Sky. On Thursday, the Mercedes driver had emphasized that they had found something for the starts during the break.
“No, definitely not,” was Glock’s verdict. “It was just as bad as the other starts. And you can feel it immediately when you look at it, because as soon as he takes off, there is immediate wheelspin.”
“Maybe, and there have been some statements, that it might be related to the clutch lever, that he doesn’t have the feeling at the first moment, which would somewhat explain why he immediately has this abrupt wheelspin.”
“And that’s the important thing: You need the feeling to notice what happens in the car when you release the clutch lever in your hand, and maybe he lacks the necessary sensitivity for that.”
Already tomorrow, Antonelli and Mercedes can make another attempt. The Miami Grand Prix is at risk due to potential weather caprices. After qualifying, the FIA plans to discuss whether the race should be rescheduled in the timetable.
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