Mercedes Investigates Kimi Antonelli's Performance Drop at Dutch GP

Mercedes is conducting an in-depth analysis of Kimi Antonelli's performance at the Formula 1 Dutch Grand Prix after he reported a challenging second half of the race. Antonelli finished as the runner-up, trailing McLaren's Lando Norris by 11 seconds.

Initially, Antonelli had a strong start, qualifying third and quickly moving to second place by the end of the first lap. However, he encountered increasing difficulties with his car's balance during subsequent tire changes. He noted that while he felt comfortable with the medium tires, the car's handling became problematic with the second set of hard tires.

Mercedes' trackside engineering director, Andrew Shovlin, stated that the team is investigating the oversteer issues Antonelli experienced, as no changes were made to the car's setup that could explain the performance drop. The team aims to resolve these issues before the next race in Italy, where Antonelli will face an engine penalty due to earlier reliability problems.