Overview
- Mercedes introduced a tweaked rear suspension at Imola to tackle low-speed performance and rear tyre temperature issues, taking cues from McLaren.
- The change created rear instability that the rookie struggled to adapt to, while George Russell coped better with the handling shift.
- Antonelli says the disruption cost him two or three months of progress and led to a period of self-doubt he describes as a negative spiral.
- He marked Spa as his low point, convened a large post-Monza team meeting, and executed a mental reset before Mercedes later reverted the suspension change.
- Form improved late in the year with consistent points and podiums in São Paulo and Las Vegas, and Mercedes’ Andrew Shovlin now calls him more rounded and very much on track.