Mercedes seeking 'solution' to combat 'fundamental' Kimi Antonelli problem

Kimi Antonelli has detailed what Mercedes is doing to try to find a solution to the "fundamental" start and launch problems he has been facing.

So far, at all four race starts in the 2026 season, including the Chinese GP Sprint, front-row starter Antonelli has fallen back into the clutches of the pack, with team-mate George Russell also suffering the issue. 

For the Miami GP, the FIA has decided to tweak the start procedure, with the MGU-K now allowed to provide a safety net boost of power for a car which has had a bad launch, with the "low power start detection" system overriding the previous rule that electrical energy was not allowed to be deployed below 50kph. 

However, Antonelli believes that his problem in starting and launching at grands prix will not be affected by this change, as it is more Mercedes-related.

"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 media, including RacingNews365.

"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.

"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.

"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. 

"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. 

"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."