Toto Wolff has confirmed that Mercedes will conduct a full investigation into Kimi Antonelli's British Grand Prix failure, stating that the team will take the 'whole car' apart to understand why a damaged wheel shield had such 'severe consequences' on the Italian's performance. Antonelli, who was chasing race leader Charles Leclerc and appeared to have the pace for victory, saw his race unravel after noticing a problem with his car.
What Happened to Antonelli's Car?
During the British Grand Prix at Silverstone, Antonelli reported a handling issue via panicked radio messages. Mercedes identified that the wheel shield covering the brake duct of the front-left wheel had sustained damage. Despite a pit stop to attempt a fix, the problem persisted, and Antonelli struggled to keep his car on the circuit. He ultimately received a five-second time penalty for exceeding track limits multiple times while wrestling the damaged car. The penalty, combined with a late safety car period following Max Verstappen's crash, dropped him from a potential points finish to 15th place.
Wolff's Reaction and Investigation Plans
Wolff expressed frustration at the reliability issue, which marked the second mechanical failure in three Grands Prix for Antonelli. 'Something got stuck in there and that's why he wasn't able to turn,' Wolff said. 'We're going to take the whole car back to the factory in order to take it apart there to really see where it happened, how it happened and why we had so severe consequences of him not being able to drive.' The team principal acknowledged that Antonelli showed impressive perseverance, but admitted he would have retired the car if he were in the driver's position due to safety concerns.
Impact on the Championship
Antonelli's failure has opened the door for rivals to close in on his championship lead. Team-mate George Russell, despite admitting his own performances have not been good enough, is now just 25 points behind Antonelli in the standings. The result also drew comparisons to a similar incident involving Lewis Hamilton at the Singapore Grand Prix last year, where Hamilton received a penalty for cutting corners due to a brakes failure. Wolff noted that the FIA faces a difficult judgment in such cases, but added that the car's suspension appeared undamaged, justifying the decision not to retire Antonelli earlier.
