Autobayng News Team
Andrea Kimi Antonelli missed a chance to make the same well-timed pit stop as Lewis Hamilton in the Belgian Grand Prix because Mercedes were unwilling to pit him.
As the track dried at the start of Sunday’s race, the rookie driver reported on his radio the track was ready for slick tyres on lap 11. However his race engineer Peter Bonnington told him to stay out.
Four other drivers pitted on the same lap, led in by Hamilton, who gained seven places. Fernando Alonso, who ran behind Antonelli until he pitted, also gained seven places thanks to his well-timed tyre change.
Antonelli came in on the next lap, at the same time as most other drivers, which cost him the chance to jump ahead of them.
This was the second race in a row in which Antonelli’s result potentially suffered because Mercedes did not heed his feedback regarding tyres.
At Silverstone, Antonelli told Mercedes the track conditions were still too wet to consider switching from intermediates to slicks during the race’s first Virtual Safety Car period. “The last sector is way too wet yet,” he informed Bonnington.
However the team chose to put him on hard slick tyres which his team mate George Russell had already switched to. “George is managing to generate decent temp so we are going to box, end of this lap,” said Bonnington. After the race team principal Toto Wolff admitted they should have left Antonelli on his intermediates.
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Antonelli’s Spa radio messages
| Lap: 8/44 ANT: 2’04.219 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Antonelli | I have a lot of oversteer. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bonnington | We have a B-mig one available. And use reg magic for the last corner. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bonnington | So just keep tyre temps under control as best you can. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Lap: 9/44 ANT: 2’05.404 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bonnington | You have diff mid eight available except for the first and last corners. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bonnington | Still looking for water. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Lap: 10/44 ANT: 2’05.624 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Antonelli | Exit of Stavelot [Unclear] for dry. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bonnington | Okay, copy. Transmission is poor around turn 15. Let us know what you think to the track conditions. And just open up your tools as that front drops off. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Lap: 11/44 ANT: 2’05.433 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Antonelli | Exit of Stavelot I think it’s ready. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bonnington | Okay, copy. We’ll let you know. Just come down with your tools. We’ll stay out. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bonnington | So we’ve got Lewis in. We will learn from him. Kimi, can we go HPP seven position five. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Lap: 12/44 ANT: 2’08.264 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Antonelli | At Stavelot Bono [unclear]… | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bonnington | Affirm Kimi so box, box. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Lap: 13/44 ANT: 2’10.637 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bonnington | He pits Go menu wet position one. So Eau Rouge is the wettest. Eau Rouge is the wettest point. Other than that, the rest looks good. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bonnington | And we’ll go diff init four when you can, diff in at four. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bonnington | Watch for cars on pit exit. Think about removing diff magic last corner and reg magic in turn one. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Lap: 14/44 ANT: 1’50.310 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bonnington | Kimi we will go menu wet position one, menu wet position one. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Antonelli | Repeat. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bonnington | Menu wet, position one. Menu wet position one. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Lap: 16/44 ANT: 1’49.928 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bonnington | Hadjar ahead was 50.0 and we need to do the menu wet switch change, menu wet switch change. That’s the position one. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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2025 Belgian Grand Prix
- “Stay out”: Antonelli told Mercedes track was ready for slicks on same lap as Hamilton
- Antonelli ‘paying the price for wrong steps’ made by Mercedes – Allison
- Verstappen is in his longest run of races without a podium finish for six years
- “I’m down to try”: How Hamilton changed his mind about crucial Spa pit stop
- 2025 Belgian Grand Prix weekend F1 driver ratings
