Kimi Antonelli admitted Mercedes no longer has the fastest car on the Formula 1 (F1) grid after Lando Norris beat the championship leader to victory at the 2026 Dutch GP. Antonelli started Sunday’s 72-lap race from third but immediately gained a position by passing Mercedes teammate George Russell off the line. After Max Verstappen’s crash brought out the red flag, Antonelli made another strong start when racing resumed, getting a better launch than Norris to take the lead on lap five.
However, the Italian struggled increasingly with the balance of his Mercedes as the Grand Prix progressed. Norris closed in during the second half of the race before eventually reclaiming the lead and pulling clear. A late Virtual Safety Car allowed Antonelli to switch to soft tyres, while Russell remained out. Mercedes eventually instructed Russell to let his teammate through as Antonelli rapidly closed in with his tyre advantage. Antonelli made his way past to secure second place, while Russell crossed the line in third. The result completed a double podium for Mercedes, with the championship leader taking the runner-up spot.
Antonelli left without an answer for Norris
Antonelli explained that the feeling in his Mercedes deteriorated after his first stint. While he initially felt comfortable, the car began sliding increasingly as the race developed. Once Norris made his move, Antonelli knew he did not have the pace required to respond. Nevertheless, he praised Russell for helping Mercedes secure second and third.
“Yeah, I mean, it was a very intense race and managed to get the lead, and stint one I felt actually okay. But then from stint two onwards, just didn’t have the feeling with the car. It was sliding a lot, a lot overall. And, yeah, at the end Lando passed me and I knew I had no chance after that. But then, of course, George was, you know, a great team player and really happy for him to hold on to P3 as well, and still great points.”
Antonelli also took encouragement from his starts at Zandvoort, an area that had previously proved a weakness for the Mercedes driver. He gained positions both at the initial start and again following the red flag restart. Despite that progress, Antonelli believes Mercedes must now focus on recovering performance after McLaren’s recent gains.
“Yeah, definitely. In that regard, we’ve done a tremendous job and improved a lot, and today paid off, so really happy with that. But, of course, now as a team we need to find a little bit of time because McLaren have done a huge step. So, yeah, we’ve got to keep pushing.”
Russell made Antonelli’s race at the 2026 F1 Dutch GP “a lot easier”
Antonelli faced his biggest difficulties during the latter stages of the 2026 F1 Dutch GP, particularly during his final stint on the hard compound. Mercedes pitted both drivers at the end of lap 40, while Norris stayed out until lap 47. The extended stint gave the McLaren driver a pace advantage on fresher tyres. He quickly closed the gap to Antonelli before making the pass and taking control of the race.
When Esteban Ocon’s retirement triggered a Virtual Safety Car, Antonelli pitted again for soft tyres. Russell remained on track and temporarily occupied second, but Mercedes later swapped its drivers as Antonelli approached with significantly fresher rubber. The championship leader thanked Russell for cooperating but questioned whether his final stop had been necessary in the first place.
“Yeah, I mean, it was a difficult second half for me, especially in the last stint on the hards, just really struggling. Had little confidence in the car and, yeah, it was not easy. And then obviously we pitted, and also that was a bit tricky. But then also George, you know, I have to thank him because he made my life a lot easier.
“But I still think probably could have stayed out and gone until the end with the same set because it put us a little bit at risk. Also, I feel we put George at risk with having to let me by and everything. But I still think, at the end of the day, it was a great team execution with how things were, and I think today P2 was the maximum we could have done because the pace of the McLarens, especially in the second half, was just too strong.”
Significant loss of pace leaves Antonelli searching for answers
Antonelli’s difficulties did not remain consistent across each tyre stint. The Mercedes driver felt comfortable on his opening medium tyres and still described the first set of hards as manageable. However, his second stint on the hard compound produced a significant change in the car’s behaviour.
Antonelli said the Mercedes felt particularly difficult to drive and highlighted the scale of the pace loss compared with earlier in the 2026 F1 Dutch GP.
“No. It was really weird because I felt good with the medium. I felt decent on the first hard, but then on the second one it just felt really odd, really odd to drive, and just sliding a lot. I need to see why it was that, but for sure it’s something that we need to look at because the drop in pace was quite significant. I mean, I think in the first stint I was almost matching my second hard in terms of pace, so for sure I need to look into it and why it went like that. But, yeah, happy with the P2 today.”
Despite those difficulties, Antonelli still secured 18 valuable points and limited the damage on an afternoon when Norris proved too quick to challenge for victory.
Improved starts pay off at Zandvoort
Antonelli produced two strong launches during the 2026 F1 Dutch GP. He initially passed Russell for second before taking the lead from Norris when racing resumed following Verstappen’s crash.
Starts have previously been an area where the championship leader has struggled to consistently make progress. However, his performance in the tricky conditions at Zandvoort provided plenty of encouragement.
Antonelli admitted his launches were still not perfect but credited Mercedes with helping him better judge the available grip on the slippery circuit.
“Well, they still didn’t feel great, but, I mean, the conditions were very sketchy, very slippery, and I think together with the team we did a great execution, especially trying to read the grip in the best way we could. So, I think, in that regard, probably the best start of the year, yes, because I did gain places finally, so I didn’t just lose them.”
Antonelli backs Mercedes to respond to McLaren’s recent gains
Norris ultimately crossed the line ahead of Antonelli and Russell, while Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc completed the top five. For Antonelli, McLaren’s performance at Zandvoort provided further evidence that the competitive picture has shifted.
Antonelli pointed specifically to the upgrade package McLaren introduced around the Hungarian GP. Based on Mercedes’ pace at Zandvoort, he conceded that the team may now rank only second or third in terms of outright performance.
Even so, Antonelli remains confident Mercedes can respond. He revealed that another upgrade package is in development but stressed that the team wants to ensure it works as intended before introducing it.
“I mean, for sure, we’re clearly not the fastest car anymore on the grid. We’re probably second or third, at least in today’s race, and McLaren has taken a huge step, especially since Hungary, since the big upgrade package they brought. But I’m confident with the team. You know, the team has been working super hard on this next package that is coming up, and they just want to make sure that it’s going to work out well once we put it on.
“So for sure, in this race, it’s going to be more difficult, it’s going to be challenging, but we’re ready to do our best and to maximise every opportunity. And then hopefully it’s going to be our turn to bring the package that’s going to give us a little bit of the upper hand again.”
