P1racenews AI automatic summary:
While Mercedes remains unbeaten in grands prix, it has another less enviable streak in 2026
Mercedes has been dominating grand prix races, but they have struggled with poor starts in Formula 1 this year, consistently losing the lead at the first corner despite starting from pole position.
In Miami, championship leader Kimi Antonelli failed to make a perfect start again, falling behind rivals Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen early on.
Mercedes acknowledges the need to address this issue, as they may not always be able to rely on strong recoveries later in the race to make up for the poor starts.
Team boss Toto Wolff expressed frustration with the situation, calling it “unacceptable” and emphasizing the importance of fixing the problem.
While the exact reasons for the poor starts have varied in each race, Mercedes has been working to improve the situation without significant progress so far.
Despite speculation of technical issues, the team attributes Antonelli’s struggles in Miami more to execution than mechanical issues, highlighting the importance of fine-tuning start procedures in Formula 1.
