P1racenews AI automatic summary:
Kimi Antonelli has warned that Mercedes has a critical “weak point” that it must work hard to resolve before the F1 season commences.
Kimi Antonelli admitted that race starts are a weak point for Mercedes post F1 pre-season testing in Bahrain. The altered procedure has drivers manual spooling their turbos now, taking up to 10 seconds, making it more complex than before. The FIA tested a revised start sequence to lessen the chance of collisions. Antonelli emphasized that Mercedes still has work to do to match Ferrari’s strong starts. His teammate George Russell echoed the sentiment that beating Ferrari at the first corner is crucial, highlighting the challenges faced during testing. Oscar Piastri, with a Mercedes power unit in his McLaren, mentioned that the starts seemed random, but also cautioned about potential pitfalls.
