Formula 1 championship leader Kimi Antonelli has candidly admitted that Mercedes is "clearly" no longer the fastest car on the grid, following his runner-up finish to Lando Norris at the Dutch Grand Prix.
Norris, starting from pole, secured his second consecutive win at Zandvoort aboard a heavily upgraded MCL40, leaving Mercedes with just two victories in the last six races, while Ferrari also claimed a couple. This is a far cry from the dominant start the Silver Arrows enjoyed in 2026, winning the opening six grands prix from pole before the development race shifted.
"We're clearly not the fastest car anymore on the grid," Antonelli said. "We're probably second or third, at least in today's race, and McLaren has taken a huge step, especially since Hungary, with the big upgrade package they brought."
Despite this, the Italian remains confident in his team. "I'm confident with the team. The team has been working super hard on this next package that is coming up, and they just want to make sure that it's going to work out well once we put it on. So for sure, in this race, it's going to be more difficult, it's going to be challenging, but we're ready to do our best and to maximise every opportunity. And then hopefully it's going to be our turn to bring the package that's going to give us a little bit of the upper hand again," he added.
Mercedes had already teased a 'sizeable' upgrade in the second half of the campaign, though its arrival location remains unconfirmed. Currently, Antonelli leads teammate George Russell and Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton by 59 points, while Mercedes holds an 87-point advantage over Ferrari in the constructors' standings.
Russell, who finished third at Zandvoort after a seventh in Budapest, described the recent weekends as "challenging." Looking ahead to Monza in two weeks, where Antonelli will take a grid penalty for an engine change, Russell said: "I think we will be slightly more competitive there. However, I believe Ferrari have an engine upgrade incoming and the truth is we just don't know. But I do believe that these high degradation circuits really suit McLaren very well and especially Lando. He's always been a bit of a specialist in those conditions. We also saw it last year. Monza may be slightly different, but I think they have to be the team to beat right now."
Antonelli's admission underscores the intensifying battle at the top of F1. McLaren, with their significant upgrade, now poses a serious threat to Mercedes' dominance. However, with a comfortable points lead, Mercedes remains in a strong position to defend their titles. All eyes now turn to Monza, which could be a turning point for both teams.
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