As Formula 1 heads into a crucial weekend in Miami, championship leader Kimi Antonelli has played down expectations that a newly introduced start procedure tweak will solve the persistent launch issues affecting his Mercedes car.
Despite his scintillating form so far this season, Antonelli has repeatedly struggled to convert front-row starts into race-leading advantages – a problem that has also hindered team-mate George Russell.
Across the opening rounds of the season, including the Sprint at the Chinese Grand Prix, Antonelli has consistently lost positions in the opening meters.
The issue has become a defining weakness for Mercedes, undermining otherwise competitive qualifying performances.
In Miami this weekend, the F1 will be testing in practice a revised start procedure. The change allows the MGU-K system to deliver a temporary boost if a poor – or rather catastrophic – launch is detected, overriding the previous restriction on deploying electrical energy below 50 km/h.
However, Antonelli is unconvinced this adjustment – if implemented in the future – will address the root of his struggles.
"Well, I think my issue is more fundamental, so I think it’s not that this tweak is going to help me massively," Antonelli told reporters on Thursday.
Searching for a deeper solution
Rather than relying on regulatory changes, Antonelli revealed that Mercedes has been working intensively behind the scenes to diagnose the problem during the recent break.
"We have been doing some practice starts, of course, during the break. We’ve been working with the team to try to recognise what the issue is, and we seem to have found it,” the two-time Grand Prix winner explained.
"Now we’re trying to obviously think about a solution as soon as possible, and then obviously we know where to work on for the solution."
The Italian explained that the issue is not a simple fix, pointing instead to technical and ergonomic factors that require careful adjustment.
"So, it’s not going to be that straightforward because it needs a change on the clutch paddle and a little bit on hand positioning as well, so definitely it’s not going to be as straightforward,” the 19-year-old added.
"But we are doing our best to find that solution as soon as possible in order to be able to do decent starts. But definitely, we recognised that my issue was much more fundamental."
Miami as a test - not a cure
With the Miami weekend offering the first real-world test since identifying the issue, Antonelli remains cautiously hopeful rather than confident.
"Now we’ll see in Miami if we can do a step forward, and then obviously we have another break after Miami, so more time to work on and to find that solution,” he concluded.
Read also: Wolff sees ‘stronger spectacle’ in Miami following reg tweaksFor a driver leading the championship, even small inefficiencies can prove costly. And while the FIA’s intervention may help some drivers avoid disastrous getaways, Antonelli’s comments suggest Mercedes’ challenge lies deeper – in the mechanics of control, precision, and execution when the lights go out.
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