Antonelli: “I’m starting to give input for development. Ferrari? They understand the car very well”

Mercedes believes in the recovery of McLaren, Ferrari and Red Bull and tries to keep them at a distance with development. A substantial package of new features will debut in Canada, but Brackley is already thinking about the next ones. Antonelli is involved in the work, so much so that for the next updates he has already given some indications to have even more confidence in the W17. According to the Italian, it is a priority for Mercedes to exploit their current superiority, given the great leap of McLaren and Red Bull, as well as a Ferrari whose full potential may not have been seen in Miami. Contribution to development Antonelli is preparing to drive a very different Mercedes in Canada, equipped with many new features. “It’s a pretty big package,” explains the Italian driver. “The numbers tell us how much faster we will go, but until we put the new features on the track for real, we will never know how much it will really save us in terms of time. I tried the package in the simulator and it seems to work well, but we will see better on the track how it will behave and if the balance of the car will change. However, I am confident, because the team is working really well, there is a great atmosphere and a great dynamic. I am sure that we are moving in the right direction.” With updates there is always the risk that the machine could deviate from your preferences. For this reason, it is important that Antonelli is taking advantage of the year of experience behind him to have his say on the development: “I’m starting to give more of my input, more for future updates. In Miami I had a fairly long conversation with a couple of engineers who are also in charge of the future development of the car and I gave my small indication on what I feel can give me even more confidence in the car. With a year of experience, it’s nice that the team has even more faith in you and that there’s starting to be this dynamic in which you’re starting to give the your input based on your sensations in the car, which could give them a different direction or vision of the development. So yes, I’m starting to give my indications in this aspect too.” Photo by Chris Arjoon/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images The opponents will arrive Kimi looks at home, but also abroad, noting the recovery of the competition, including Ferrari: “I am certainly aware that some teams will get closer. McLaren and Red Bull made a huge step forward in Miami, while in my opinion that race was not representative of Ferrari, because in any case there were somewhat particular conditions. We will see better this weekend how their package of updates will work. I am sure, in any case, that the the gaps are closing. McLaren, however, is the reigning champion, while Ferrari have started well and seem to understand the car very well, also considering the amount of updates they are bringing, so it is normal that sooner or later the performances get closer and closer. This is why it is very important to make the most of this part of the season, where we have a bit of an advantage over the others.” The Bolognese continues: “This year is also a battle with updates, because every weekend you learn so much about the car, that then in the wind tunnel you continue to try different things and find more and more load. It won’t just be a race to see who brings the most updates, but who brings developments that are effective and that really work. Even from that aspect we’ll have to keep pushing, because it could be that from mid-season the gaps will be minimal, like last year. This is why it’s important to take advantage of this phase”. Antonelli, like Mercedes, has no intention of resting on its laurels. On the other hand, recent history teaches that a championship apparently closed at the beginning of summer can reopen with the arrival of autumn. Click here to add Formula Passion as your favorite source on Google Discover: you will find our content more easily!

Automobile Magazine – F1 English News , 2026-05-22 02:03:00