Mercedes insider reveals Antonelli's condition after his crash with Verstappen

14:18, 02 Jul

Updated: 14:24, 02 Jul

byKevin Doldersum

The Austrian Grand Prix did not go as hoped for Mercedes. Kimi Antonelli was out in the first round after his crash with Max Verstappen, and George Russell finished only at P5. Mercedes' Trackside Engineering Director, Andrew Shovlin, discussed the Austrian Grand Prix and revealed the condition of Antonelli following his crash with the four-time world champion.

“In the race, well, fundamentally, the pace wasn't there anyway. We were really struggling in those conditions. And then obviously Kimi had that unfortunate incident with Max, which took them both out early on. So there's a lot for us to get stuck into this week," said Shovlin in the Mercedes race report. The Brit elaborated that there's a very short period for Mercedes to get things sorted before the British Grand Prix takes place. However, he saw it positively, as Mercedes has often performed well after a bad weekend,d according to the engineer.

George Russell on the track at the Red Bull Ring

Mercedes had a tough weekend during the Austrian GP

Regarding the difficulties in the Austrian GP, Shovlin said: “It’s no secret. We haven’t been good at the very hot races. Saying that, Montreal was reasonably hot, but the nature of that circuit suits us. So the track there was 50 degrees. We were able to win the race, but it’s very much held by the fact that the corners are slower, there’s less energy in them."

"It’s also a newer tarmac. So there’s plenty that we need to be working on. It’s definitely linked to the tyres. You know, Pirelli tires like to be cool. At the moment, we look to be running them hotter than some of our competition, particularly hotter than the McLaren. We’re always developing in that area, but as is everyone else."

Antonelli unfazed by crash in Austria

About Antonelli, the 51-year-old said: “Kimi will be fine. He was very disappointed after the race and embarrassed to have made a mistake that ultimately took Max out as well.” For that incident, the Italian received a three-place grid penalty and penalty points on his license. Verstappen took the rookie's side after the race and emphasised that this is part of the learning curve.

“He’s got that grid penalty in Silverstone, but he’s going to have to put that to the back of his mind and just focus on qualifying as far up the grid as possible, getting the car set up for qualifying, getting it set up for the race. But he’ll be over that by now. He’s fully focused on the next event. He’ll be in with Bono and the engineering team working on the setup in preparation. And I’m sure that he’ll bounce back strong," concluded Shovlin.