Shovlin: “The brutal qualifying stopped Antonelli’s rise”

Antonelli, who started 16th in Australia due to floor damage, improved rapidly in subsequent races, finishing eighth in China and third in Miami, and taking pole position in the sprint race, becoming the youngest pole-sitter in F1 history.

After finishing fourth in Canada, the young driver's performance declined throughout the European season. After falling to 19th in Belgium, Antonelli recovered after the summer break to finish 11th in the Netherlands, 6th in Italy, and 4th in Azerbaijan.

Mercedes engineering director Andrew Shovlin stated that the rear suspension update introduced at Imola but quickly removed also negatively impacted Antonelli.

"This part worked well at certain tracks like Montreal, but it caused more problems at places like Austria and Silverstone. It was particularly confusing for some. His points haul at the start of the season was above our expectations, but with the European leg, things got tougher," he said.

Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes

Photo: Joe Portlock / LAT Images via Getty Images

Shovlin emphasized that the young driver's inexperience also played a role, saying, "There will be ups and downs in the life of a driver who enters F1 so quickly. As the grid got closer to us, qualifying sessions became much more brutal."

"There were times when he lost practice time with small mistakes and fell into the gravel pit. But he also had strong races; for example, his fourth place in Melbourne in the rain was fantastic."

Mercedes stated that they were working to help Antonelli feel comfortable in his car again, and emphasised that the young pilot's return to his previous level in qualifying was critical to his championship competitiveness.