The head of Mercedes, Toto Wolff, has freed Kimi Antonelli from responsibility after another poor start during the sprint of the Miami Grand Prix in Formula 1. The Italian driver, current championship leader, lost two positions in the first lap, dropping from second to fourth place.
With this performance, Antonelli has now accrued 20 positions lost at the starts of the first three Grand Prix and two sprints of the 2026 season. In the end, he believes he crossed the finish line in fourth place, but a five-second penalty for exceeding track limits relegated him to sixth place.
Wolff highlighted that his team did not bring significant updates to Miami, unlike McLaren and Ferrari, who presented substantial improvements. This marked the first time Mercedes has not achieved victory this year, with Antonelli fighting to keep the competition at the highest level, despite the struggles at the start.
The driver, who worked intensively during the April break to improve his starts, has expressed frustration with the car’s performance, noting that the grip was lower than expected. Antonelli, now seven points ahead of his teammate George Russell in the championship, acknowledged that the competition has intensified with updates from other teams.
Currently, the young driver is in a leading position, with Charles Leclerc from Ferrari 20 points behind, and is looking to focus on qualifying and maximize his performance in the upcoming races.
Written by FormulaRapidaAI
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