Toto Wolff has pointed to Kimi Antonelli’s aggressive opening laps as the moment Mercedes’ Austrian Grand Prix one-two chance slipped away, despite the championship leader recovering to finish third at the Red Bull Ring.
George Russell converted pole into victory on Sunday, holding off Max Verstappen by 1.611 seconds, while Antonelli crossed the line another 0.375s behind the Red Bull after a late push for second.
Antonelli had started fourth but ran wide more than once on the first lap, briefly came under Race Control attention, and later lost time before resetting his race on fresher tyres. FIA race data showed him close rapidly in the final stint, but the early deficit left him just short of Verstappen.
Wolff identifies the decisive phase
Speaking after Mercedes’ first-and-third finish, Wolff said the team had managed both cars calmly through the Virtual Safety Car phases, but felt Antonelli’s chance was damaged before strategy became the central story.
Wolff said Antonelli was learning quickly, but described the lost opportunity as the “full attack” phase in the first laps, when he pushed braking points further than he had done all weekend.
Antonelli accepted the same theme in the FIA post-race press conference, admitting he had been “a bit too excited” early on and had lost several seconds through mistakes on the medium tyre before his pace returned later in the race.
The result still protects Antonelli’s championship lead, but it also cuts Russell’s deficit to 40 points before Formula 1 moves to Silverstone next weekend.
Race top three:
- George Russell, Mercedes
- Max Verstappen, Red Bull
- Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes
https://www.formula1.com/en/video/a-bit-all-over-the-place-at-the-start-and-had-to-chase-antonelli-on-his-p3-finish-in-austrian-gp.1869255471031149320
Sources: Formula1.com, FIA race report, FIA post-race transcript.
