Imola – May 19, 2025 –
Mercedes endured a challenging race, as the team struggled with pace and reliability at the Emilia Romagna Grand prix. Both George Russell and Kimi Antonelli faced challenges, with Russell finishing seventh and Antonelli retiring due to a throttle issue. Throughout the race, the team had to manage tire degradation and a troublesome rear-end setup. The issue for the Formula 1 team is to understand the difficulties and improve their speed for the Monaco Grand Prix.
Mercedes Grapples With Pace and Reliability at Emilia Romagna Grand Prix
Race Summary: A Struggle for the Silver Arrows
Mercedes endured a challenging race at Imola, with both drivers facing challenges. George Russell’s early pit stop, triggered by a battle with Lando Norris, influenced the race strategy. Antonelli, in his first home Grand Prix, retired due to a throttle problem, marking the first retirement of his F1 career.
George Russell’s Viewpoint: Damage Limitation
Mr. Russell described the race as challenging
, acknowledging that P7 was not the desired result.He struggled with rear-end stability and overheating, impacting his rythm and pace.
“Today was challenging and, obviously, P7 is not where we want to be. I struggled with the rear end of the car from the begining and was not able to get into a good rhythm. With a relatively high track temperature, we were suffering from overheating on the rear axle. It was therefore tough to keep the tyres in the right window and the pace reflected that. We couldn’t match the leaders’ pace,so it was very much damage limitation.”
George Russell
Looking ahead,Mr. Russell is optimistic about Monaco, emphasizing the importance of qualifying and his confidence in his single-lap performance. We will take the learnings from this weekend and move quickly on to Monaco.
He added, Monaco is one of these races where a lot depends on Saturday and I am confident in how we can perform there.
Kimi antonelli’s Disappointing Home Race
Mr. Antonelli’s first home Grand Prix ended prematurely due to a throttle issue. Despite a strong start on hard tires, he lacked the pace to contend for a top-five finish. He defended against Lewis Hamilton before the mechanical problem surfaced.
“Today was a disappointing way to end my first home Grand Prix. You never want to have a DNF but for it to come here at Imola is even more bitter. That said, I will treasure the memory of this weekend. The support from the fans has been unbelievable. They kept cheering for me each and every lap, despite the struggles with our performance.”
Kimi Antonelli
Despite the setback, Mr. Antonelli expressed gratitude for the fan support and is focused on the upcoming race in Monaco. we have the opportunity to bounce back straight away in Monaco so we will take the learnings from here and apply them to next weekend.
Team Perspective: Identifying the Root Cause
Bradley Lord, the team representative, described the race as Mercedes’ most difficult of the season, falling short of their standards. Andrew Shovlin, Trackside Engineering Director, echoed this sentiment, highlighting pace limitations and reliability concerns.
“That was comfortably our most difficult Grand Prix of the season so far.To come away with P7 and a DNF is far below the standards we set ourselves as a team.”
Bradley Lord, Team Representative
Mr. Lord explained that Mr. Russell struggled with rear stability and tire degradation, leading to an early pit stop and a two-stop strategy. Mr. Antonelli, starting on hard tires, ran well before the throttle issue forced his retirement.
Mr. Shovlin emphasized the need to understand the pace deficit and address the tire overheating issue. Our bigger concern is around the pace.It’s been another hot race, and we were giving the rear tyres too much of a hard time. We thus suffered from poor grip and degradation throughout.
He added that the team is working to resolve the throttle issue on mr. Antonelli’s car before Monaco.
“We’re working to understand the issues on kimi’s car, but the throttle pedal was gradually deteriorating and eventually the system switched off for safety. That problem is unlikely to be too challenging to solve in time for Monaco thankfully.”
andrew Shovlin, Trackside Engineering Director
The team’s primary focus is to understand why they struggled so substantially and to maximize their performance in Monaco.
Looking Ahead: Monaco Grand Prix
Mercedes aims to bounce back at the Monaco Grand Prix, focusing on qualifying performance and addressing the issues that plagued them in Imola. The team is steadfast to improve their pace and reliability for the upcoming race.
FAQ: Mercedes at Imola
- Q: What was George Russell’s finishing position?
- A: George Russell finished 7th.
- Q: Why did Kimi Antonelli retire?
- A: Kimi Antonelli retired due to a throttle problem.
- Q: What is Mercedes focusing on for the Monaco Grand Prix?
- A: Mercedes is focusing on qualifying performance and addressing pace and reliability issues.
