For Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli, the Silverstone race ended early after a collision – He blames the team for putting him in “an impossible situation”
For Mercedes youngster Kimi Antonelli, the British Grand Prix was a bitter disappointment: an early pit stop on the first lap to switch to slicks despite the wet track ruined the Italian’s race in the early stages.
“He was put in an impossible situation,” admits Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff, taking all the blame on his team. “We shouldn’t have brought him in at that point. To be fair, given his lack of experience, he couldn’t question it.”
The Austrian thus indirectly admits that Antonelli does not yet have the strategic finesse to question internal team decisions. A more experienced driver might have disagreed or at least hesitated in a similar race situation.
However, the Mercedes youngster listened to his team and drove straight into the strategic trap. This is another reason why Wolff remains relaxed about the young Italian’s final result: “Even today, I’m still at peace with what happened.”
Mercedes must “perform a real reset”
A collision with Racing Bulls rookie Isack Hadjar shortly afterwards led to the Mercedes driver’s retirement. “I wouldn’t overestimate today’s performance – the first pit stop was a strategic mistake,” admits Mercedes team boss Wolff.
This means that Antonelli has now failed to finish for the second time in a row after his crash at the start in Austria. “Yes, it has indeed been a difficult phase since Montreal,” Wolff emphasizes with regard to the entire team: “Two races that were really below average, and that’s how it feels across the whole team.”
Antonelli also finds the current situation “disappointing,” reveals the Austrian. “I think as a team we need to get back to a clear starting point. He’s a great driver and there are good reasons why we brought him in.”
“And as a team, we also know what we are capable of. We need to regroup, do a real reset, and then continue working from there. There are still two races [before the summer break], and we want to try to fight back.”
Wolff: Antonelli “just wants to be good”
The two retirements come on the heels of Antonelli’s podium finish in Canada, where he finished third. Was it a coincidence, or did the Formula 1 rookie perhaps become overmotivated? “I’m not sure if he was trying too hard,” says Wolff. “I think he just wants to do well.”
“And of course, he’s bombarded with an enormous amount of information,” admits the Mercedes team boss. “He’s trying to get the most out of the car and at the same time asking himself: I know I can drive – what do I need to do to make it work again?”
That’s another reason why the team shouldn’t get too bogged down in analysis in order to achieve top results again. “For us as a team, and also for the drivers, the key task now is to simplify things,” warns Wolff. “We tend to overthink everything.”
