Kimi Antonelli warns Mercedes: “Ferrari is much closer than it looks”. Kimi Antonelli: “Ferrari is solid, we can't afford to relax”.

Kimi Antonelli has warned Mercedes not to underestimate Ferrari as the Formula 1 title fight heads to Spa-Francorchamps. The Italian believes the Scuderia is much closer than many people think and has praised Ferrari’s consistency, while also revealing that Mercedes has already reinforced the component that failed on his car at Silverstone.

Antonelli warns Mercedes: Ferrari is a real threat

The British Grand Prix left Mercedes with more than just disappointment after Kimi Antonelli missed out on another podium despite showing race-winning pace. Following what happened at Barcelona, Silverstone confirmed to the Brackley-based team that they cannot afford to lower their guard in either championship battle, because Ferrari has proved it can be competitive even on circuits that are not expected to suit the SF-26.

With Ferrari continuing to improve and demonstrating impressive consistency, reliability has become one of Mercedes‘ biggest priorities. Antonelli knows that in such a closely contested season, every small detail can make the difference. For that reason, he praised the team’s response after the failure at Silverstone, revealing that the wheel shield component responsible for his retirement has already been reinforced.

Antonelli’s comments

“We know we can’t relax at all, especially because Ferrari is very solid,” Kimi Antonelli said at Spa. “Maybe they are just a little behind us in terms of pace, but their car is consistent and hasn’t had any reliability problems so far. That’s why, in the Constructors’ Championship, we have to do everything we can to score as many points as possible every time we have the opportunity. As a team, we also need to solve these issues because Ferrari is much closer than it might appear.”

“I know everyone is working incredibly hard,” he added. “They’ve already reinforced the part that broke on my car at Silverstone, and I’m sure they’re doing everything possible to make sure these problems don’t happen again.

“As a driver, you’re aware that technical issues are part of racing. Of course, it’s better when they don’t happen, but they can occur, and that’s why it’s incredibly important to make the most of every opportunity. Things can change in an instant. I went from having a 70-point lead to just 25 after probably losing 43 points over two races. Even though we had the fastest car, those two retirements completely changed the situation.”