Antonelli, Angry With His Car: “It’s Unpredictable and Ungovernable”

Kimi Antonelli is not having the dream weekend in Singapore. The Formula 1 championship leader who arrived at Marina Bay with a considerable advantage over George Russell, has been surprised by the problems of his Mercedes. The new aerodynamic configuration introduced by the team is not working as expected and the Italian has been very critical of the W17's behavior after the Sprint qualifying.

"In free practice I was struggling, the car is very difficult, very unpredictable and it is very difficult to do a good lap" Antonelli declared after the session. The Italian who expected a complicated weekend acknowledged that reality is surpassing his worst omens: "I came with many hopes, but like this it is very difficult", he added making it clear that the car's performance is far below expectations.

The problem is not minor, Antonelli finished the Sprint qualifying seven tenths behind Max Verstappen's time, a difference that he considers practically insurmountable with current resources: "I don't see where we can find seven tenths. Maybe Bono and the engineers find something in the car" he stated, referring to his track engineer, Peter Bonnington, and the rest of Mercedes' technical team, the phrase reflects the uncertainty surrounding the German team at a crucial moment of the season.

Despite the difficulties Antonelli maintains a comfortable advantage in the championship. His main rival, George Russell, will start from the back of the grid in Singapore after the penalty for the power unit change, which gives the Italian some margin of maneuver however, Antonelli does not want to be overconfident. His objective is to maximize the car's performance and score the maximum possible points even if circumstances are not in his favor.

The Italian also made self-criticism: "I will try to improve my driving and we'll see tomorrow" he noted, acknowledging that part of the problem may be in his own driving. Antonelli will start seventh in the Sprint a position that, although not ideal, allows him to fight for points in a short race where opportunities can arise at any moment.

Mercedes faces the rest of the weekend with the need to find quick answers, the W17's aerodynamic configuration is not giving the expected results and the team will have to work against the clock to find a solution before the qualifying for the Grand Prix. Antonelli with his talent and his determination, will continue pressing for the team to recover the lost performance; the championship is at stake and every point counts.

The panorama is not simple for Mercedes. The W17's aerodynamic configuration is not performing as expected and the team needs to find quick answers to not lose ground in a championship that is decided by details, Antonelli with his advantage still intact, trusts that the engineers' work will allow reversing the situation and returning his confidence behind the wheel.

The Italian knows that the advantage he has in the standings is valuable, but also that he cannot afford too many mistakes if he wants to keep his rivals at bay in the final stretch of the season.