Mercedes no longer have the fastest car in F1, says leader Antonelli

What the report says

McLaren’s recent form has put Mercedes under pressure in Formula One, with championship leader Kimi Antonelli saying after the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort that Mercedes no longer has the fastest car on the grid. The remarks came after McLaren’s Lando Norris won from pole position, while Antonelli and Mercedes teammate George Russell finished second and third, ahead of Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc.

Antonelli pointed to McLaren’s progress since its upgrade package earlier in the season, describing the team as having moved ahead of Mercedes in overall pace. Norris pushed back on that view, arguing that race circumstances and his own driving also mattered, while acknowledging that McLaren now has a car capable of competing at the front.

The exchange underlines how closely matched the top teams remain as the season moves toward the Italian Grand Prix at Monza in two weeks. Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff said cost-cap limits affect how quickly the team can introduce upgrades, while McLaren principal Andrea Stella suggested Mercedes still has untapped performance that could soon appear on track. Antonelli also faces a grid penalty at Monza after Mercedes decided to change his power unit to reduce reliability risks later in the year. Al Jazeera, citing AP and Reuters, reported that Mercedes still leads the constructors’ standings, but the balance of power between the front-runners appears to be shifting.