Andrea Kimi Antonelli praised teammate George Russell for acting as a team player during the closing stages of the 2026 Dutch Grand Prix, but cautioned that Mercedes must urgently respond to McLaren’s rising form.
Starting from 3rd, the Italian rookie grabbed 2nd at the initial start before sweeping past pole-sitter Lando Norris at the standing restart to lead the race. Antonelli controlled the opening stint on medium tires, but his race unraveled after switching to the hard compound.
“It was an intense race. I took the lead early on and the pace was good in the first stint,” Antonelli recalled. “But after changing tires, the car lost grip, it was sliding around in the corners, and Lando passed me. After that, I had no further chances.”
With Norris breezing past on Lap 54, a late Virtual Safety Car gave Mercedes the chance to pit Antonelli for soft tires. Rejoining 3rd behind Russell, Mercedes requested the Briton to swap positions, allowing the championship leader to finish 2nd and maximize his points tally.
“George was a great teammate, and I’m happy he secured the pódio as well—these are still good points for us,” Antonelli acknowledged. “Now we need to improve as a team. McLaren has taken a step forward, and we need to keep developing.”
Formula 1 heads to Monza next for the 2026 Italian Grand Prix from September 4–6. GRANDE PRÊMIO covers all paddock news live from Zandvoort with reporter Leonid Kliuev. Follow all updates on our news page.
