Antonelli admits Mercedes no longer F1's fastest as Norris wins Dutch GP

Kimi Antonelli admitted Mercedes has lost its edge at the front of the Formula 1 field after the championship leader was beaten by Lando Norris at the Dutch Grand Prix in Zandvoort, with the McLaren driver converting pole into a second straight victory aboard a heavily upgraded MCL40.

“We’re clearly not the fastest car anymore on the grid,” Antonelli said. “We’re probably second or third, at least in today’s race, and McLaren has taken a huge step, especially since Hungary, since the big upgrade package they brought.”

The result leaves Mercedes with just two wins from the last six races, with Ferrari also claiming a pair of victories during that stretch. It represents a sharp contrast to the Silver Arrows’ dominant start to the 2026 season, when they swept the opening six grands prix from pole before the development race began to close the gap.

Antonelli, who leads the drivers’ standings, was measured about the team’s prospects heading into the next phase of the campaign. “I’m confident with the team. The team has been working super hard on this next package that is coming up and they just want to make sure that it’s going to work out well once we put it on,” he said. “Hopefully it’s going to be our turn to bring the package that’s going to give us a little bit of the upper hand again.”

Mercedes has already signalled a sizeable upgrade is planned for the second half of the season, though the specific race at which it will be introduced has not been confirmed. Antonelli currently leads team-mate George Russell and Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton by 59 points, while Mercedes holds an 87-point advantage over Ferrari in the constructors’ standings.

Russell, who finished seventh in Budapest and third at Zandvoort, described it as “a challenging couple of weekends” and noted his team-mate will carry a grid penalty at the next round in Monza due to an engine change. The Briton was cautious about Ferrari’s threat there, pointing to a reported engine upgrade from the Italian outfit, while acknowledging McLaren’s current form.

“I do believe that these high degradation circuits really suit McLaren very well and especially Lando,” Russell said. “He’s always been a bit of a specialist in those conditions. Monza may be slightly different, but I think they have to be the team to beat right now.”