Mercedes Blames Tyre Temperatures for Antonelli’s São Paulo Spin

Overview

• Mercedes concluded its post-race probe found no mechanical fault and attributed Kimi Antonelli’s sudden loss of rear grip to tyres running outside their ideal temperature window.
• Antonelli switched to soft slicks after the pit stop, flat-spotted all four tyres and then spun at Turn 1, dropping from the lead to finish fifth and losing a likely victory.
• George Russell experienced similar handling anomalies, narrowly avoiding a pit-exit spin and recovering to finish fourth, showing the problem affected both cars.
• The team said cooler, damp, changeable weather at Interlagos made it hard to generate and keep tyre heat, causing the W17 to be very oversteery and unpredictable on slicks.
• Mercedes noted the car still showed bursts of top pace during the race but warned that the W17’s narrow tyre and setup window will be a key focus for the remaining rounds.