Mercedes' automotive modifications behind Kimi Antonelli's latest F1 struggles 

Current modifications to Mercedes’ 2025 System 1 automotive could be responsible for the workforce’s drop in type, in line with trackside engineering director Andrew Shovlin, who theorises that is hurting rookie driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli greater than his extra skilled team-mate. 

Antonelli has endured a depressing run of type during the last seven races, with 4 retirements and two non-scoring finishes punctuated by his season-best results of third in Montreal. After beginning 2025 brightly, the Italian has been unable to match the tempo of team-mate George Russell at latest occasions. 

Shovlin famous that the Mercedes W16 was presently proving to be “troublesome”, and that the workforce wanted to rediscover a extra pure baseline that may make sure that the chassis may very well be extra amenable over a race weekend. Russell had acknowledged that Mercedes ought to have carried out at Spa given its desire for cooler situations, and thus felt that his fifth-place end was ‘underwhelming’.  

Including to this, Shovlin acknowledged that Russell was additionally scuffling with the W16 as-is, however his greater databank of F1 expertise was serving to him mitigate a few of the troubles confronted in latest rounds. 

“I believe what you have seen within the latest qualifyings is that George is leaning on his a few years of expertise in an F1 automotive to attempt to benefit from a troublesome automotive,” Shovlin defined after the Belgian Grand Prix. 

Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari, Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes

Picture by: Zak Mauger / LAT Pictures through Getty Pictures

“Kimi hasn’t received that to drop again on, and that is in all probability why you have seen a little bit of a shift in his outcomes lately.  

“However once more, it goes again to the actual fact we have to unravel that downside as a result of there’s nonetheless an extended option to go this yr. It’s fairly seemingly one thing that we have modified on the automotive, and we have to get again to a baseline the place it is working extra usually. 

“Kimi’s had a couple of powerful weekends, however he is getting a number of engineering assist from Bono and the engineers on that aspect of the storage.  

“We as a workforce are nicely conscious that the factor that we have to deal with is the weaknesses within the automotive, not the bits that Kimi’s scuffling with.  

“And as I stated, the actual fact is that George is leaning on all his expertise, fairly a little bit of it driving troublesome vehicles, to get the qualifying laps out of it. We’re discovering various time throughout the session.  

Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes talks with Andrew Shovlin, Trackside Engineering Director Mercedes

Picture by: Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Pictures

“It is simply because George is studying to know when he can belief the automotive and [he] can lean on it, however he isn’t getting that feeling from it inherently.” 

Shovlin backed Antonelli to maintain enhancing, and stated that taking steps to make sure the automotive is much less problematic ought to supply an even bigger swing within the Bologna-born teen’s type. 

He stated that there have been modifications that the workforce might make between Spa and this weekend’s spherical in Hungary, however needed to make sure the workforce was “targeted on the best issues, not simply altering issues for the sake of it”. 

“Kimi’s on a steep studying curve and he will be getting higher as a driver,” Shovlin added. “The truth that his early performances have been higher than they’re now’s nearly actually that the automotive’s not as aggressive, and you may see that mirrored in George’s outcomes.  

“We have seen it numerous instances earlier than as nicely. When a younger driver is available in they usually’re in an excellent automotive, they’ll typically actually impress.  

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“When a younger driver is available in they usually’re in a troublesome automotive, it’s extremely arduous to get it collectively week in, week out. We have seen sufficient from Kimi to know that there is an excessive amount of expertise there. 

“However what is going to assist George may even assist Kimi, and it’ll in all probability assist Kimi extra.”