P1racenews AI automatic summary:
Andrea Kimi Antonelli says Mercedes expected a greater challenger at the Miami Grand Prix
“Formula 1 championship leader Andrea Kimi Antonelli acknowledges that Mercedes anticipated a challenging Miami Grand Prix due to the significant upgrades of their rivals, who have narrowed the performance gap considerably.
Mercedes has dominated the 2026 season, clinching victory in all preceding grands prix and securing pole position at each event, until Lando Norris of McLaren grabbed sprint pole in Miami.
Teams like McLaren, Ferrari, and Red Bull unveiled substantial upgrade packages in Miami, while Mercedes opted to introduce their updates at the Canadian Grand Prix.
Despite being slightly behind Norris in sprint qualifying, Antonelli notes that Mercedes struggled on medium tires but showed improvement on soft rubber during the qualifying session.
Antonelli remains optimistic about being competitive in the race and vows to put up a fight on Sunday.
Reflecting on the challenging sprint qualifying session, Antonelli feels there is still room for improvement and praises his team for their recovery efforts.
Looking ahead, Antonelli expresses confidence in Mercedes’ ability to analyze and enhance their performance for the upcoming race day.”
