Mercedes explains Antonelli's Interlagos spin and car handling

Kimi Antonelli had been building a comfortable lead at the Brazilian Grand Prix when his Mercedes began to feel unusual after switching from intermediates to slicks on lap 18. Two laps later he spun at Turn 1 as the rear of his W17 snapped under braking, losing the lead to Lando Norris and finishing fifth, 41 seconds behind.

Antonelli had also gone off earlier at Turn 12, and team-mate George Russell narrowly avoided a spin at the pit exit before finishing fourth. Antonelli said he did not know why he lost the rear so quickly, adding that he had felt something odd with the car when he fitted the soft tyres.

Mercedes believes the handling problems were largely caused by tyres struggling to reach their operating window in the cooler conditions. Trackside engineer Lord said both drivers, and others in the field, thought something was broken, but the car was sometimes just below the tyre temperature window.