Antonelli explains ‘steps forward’ with Mercedes’ upgrades

Kimi Antonelli expressed confidence that Mercedes are beginning to extract maximum performance from their recent upgrade package at the Circuit of The Americas. Following data analysis during the week off after Singapore, having both cars on the same specification has allowed the team to better understand the developments and take positive steps forward. Despite Antonelli finishing just 0.042s off Charles Leclerc's benchmark in Friday practice and holding a mathematical chance to secure the Drivers' Championship this weekend, Deputy Team Principal Bradley Lord emphasized that the team is approaching the event normally. Lord noted that the competition among the top four teams is extremely tight, with little to separate the front-runners across long and short runs.