Over the past few days, ScuderiaFans.com has explained Mercedes’ clever approach to managing the electrical side of its power unit at Silverstone, a technique that was later confirmed by pole-sitter Andrea Kimi Antonelli himself during the post-qualifying press conference. The strategy, while unusual, proved decisive in helping Mercedes maximize performance on one of the most demanding circuits for energy deployment.
Mercedes instructs its drivers to briefly lift off the throttle just before crossing the finish line. Although the manoeuvre feels completely unnatural to a racing driver, it allows the W17 to exploit the full 350 kW of electrical power until the very last moment, rather than gradually reducing the electric output by 50 kW per second. The technique is fully compliant with the regulations because it is triggered by what the FIA technical rules define as a “negative driver request.”
Did Mercedes’ trick make the difference?
Mercedes used the same strategy during Saturday’s qualifying session, producing a significant burst of electrical power on the exit of the final Vale chicane. The telemetry reveals an impressive speed difference of 11 km/h between Andrea Kimi Antonelli and Charles Leclerc, giving the Italian driver a clear advantage on the run to the finish line and ultimately helping him secure pole position by 0.175 seconds over the Ferrari driver.
The telemetry illustrates the story in remarkable detail. Approaching the Vale chicane, Charles Leclerc attacks the corner entry aggressively and is exceptionally strong under braking, briefly eliminating the gap he had lost earlier in the lap. However, that aggressive approach compromises his exit, and from the middle of the chicane onward Andrea Kimi Antonelli immediately begins opening the gap once again.
As both drivers accelerate toward the finish line, Antonelli combines a cleaner racing line with a clear surplus of electrical power. The result is a speed advantage of as much as 11 km/h before the Mercedes driver briefly lifts off the throttle just before crossing the timing line, with the gap returning to almost the same two-tenths margin that existed before entering the chicane.
The ghost car comparison
The effect can also be seen clearly in Formula 1’s official “Ghost Car” comparison, which overlays the qualifying laps of Andrea Kimi Antonelli and Charles Leclerc. We have isolated several key frames and included the comparison video below. While the overlay should not be considered accurate to the nearest thousandth of a second, it provides an excellent visual representation of what happened.
The footage clearly shows Antonelli’s Mercedes pulling away from the Ferrari on the exit of the final chicane thanks to its extra electrical boost before noticeably slowing just before the finish line as the driver lifts off the throttle to complete the energy management strategy. It is a small but highly effective detail that ultimately played a significant role in deciding pole position at Silverstone.
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