Antonelli singles out “competitive” McLaren as Mercedes’ main rival in Zandvoort

Key takeaways

• McLaren threat: Championship leader Andrea Kimi Antonelli identified McLaren as Mercedes’ main rival for the Dutch Grand Prix following Lando Norris’s victory in Hungary.
• Awaiting Mercedes updates: Antonelli revealed Mercedes has not introduced upgrades since the Canadian Grand Prix, but expects a significant development package to arrive later in the season.
• Championship advantage: The Italian driver holds a commanding 50-point lead over Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton as the second half of the 2026 campaign gets underway.

Andrea Kimi Antonelli arrives at the Dutch Grand Prix leading the Formula 1 World Drivers’ Championship. Holding 6 victories out of 12 races in 2026, the Mercedes driver enjoys a 50-point advantage over second-placed Lewis Hamilton of Ferrari.

In the final race before the summer break, Antonelli was surprised by McLaren’s strong performance, as Lando Norris claimed the team’s first win of 2026 in Hungary. Antonelli noted that he anticipated growth from the Woking team following a recent upgrade package aimed at increasing competitiveness for the second half of the year. Heading into the Netherlands, he expects rival teams to put up a strong challenge.

“We definitely expected McLaren to be strong. They were the team that took the longest to bring an upgrade among all teams, so we knew they would be competitive again. That was already noticeable from their performance early in the season, when on some tracks they were already very strong. I know they are also bringing something new this weekend. So certainly, they will probably be our main rival. But I think Ferrari will also be in the mix. They have a new floor this weekend, so it will be interesting to see how they perform. And, of course, we also have Red Bull. You can never rule out Max [Verstappen]. They will definitely be in the fight as well,” Antonelli stated during a press session attended by GRANDE PRÊMIO.

Antonelli also mentioned that Mercedes is set to introduce a major update package soon for the closing stretch of the season. The Brackley-based team last brought new parts to the W17 at the Canadian Grand Prix — a race won by Antonelli himself, who now aims to maximize performance at Zandvoort.

“On our side, we haven’t brought an upgrade since Canada. So it’s been quite a while. But we expect to have a big update later in the season, and hopefully it will help us in terms of performance. That’s why this race is really important for us to extract the maximum from the package we currently have. We still have a great car, don’t get me wrong. But it’s normal to have races like Hungary where we weren’t the fastest. As teams bring updates and we don’t, that naturally happens. I’m very confident in the team and in the update that will be introduced later. Hopefully it will give us a slight edge again,” he added.

Formula 1 returns this weekend, from August 21 to 23, for the Dutch Grand Prix — the 12th round of the 2026 season. GRANDE PRÊMIO covers all the track action live from Zandvoort with reporter Leonid Kliuev. Follow every story on our news page.

Session schedule: Dutch Grand Prix 2026

Frequently asked questions (FAQ)

1. Who leads the 2026 Formula 1 Drivers’ Championship heading into the Dutch Grand Prix?

Andrea Kimi Antonelli leads the Drivers’ Championship for Mercedes, holding a 50-point lead over Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton after winning six races in the first twelve rounds.

2. When did Mercedes last bring an upgrade package to its 2026 car?

Mercedes last introduced upgrades to the W17 at the Canadian Grand Prix, though Antonelli confirmed a major new development package is scheduled for later in the season.

3. Which team won the race preceding the 2026 summer break?

McLaren won the Hungarian Grand Prix prior to the summer break, with Lando Norris claiming the team’s first victory of the 2026 season.