Mercedes may be leading the way after three rounds of the 2026 Formula 1 season, but not everything is running smoothly behind the scenes.
Despite another strong overall result in Japan, both George Russell and Andrea Kimi Antonelli left Suzuka with reasons to be frustrated, highlighting areas the team still needs to refine.
Russell’s race undone by circumstances
George Russell endured a difficult Japanese Grand Prix, with Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff admitting that the race simply “went against him.”
After showing promising pace across the weekend, Russell’s race was compromised by factors largely outside of his control, including strategy and race interruptions.
Wolff acknowledged the Briton’s performance but conceded that the final result did not reflect his true pace.
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“I think the race went against him starting with the Qualifying set-up decisions,” said Wolff post-race.
“With the set-up decision that put the car in a spot that was literally from FP3 to Qualifying much worse.
“And then the start, certainly we don’t give the two drivers the best of tools for the starts, but then it was also driver mistakes today on the start.
“And then we had to make the call for the Safety Car because we were risking the position to [Charles] Leclerc and then luck fell onto Kimi’s side, who was very quick at that stage and bad luck for George that he lost these positions there.
“And then on top of that, we had a software glitch that gave him a super clip and he got overtaken by Leclerc. So, this is literally everything that went wrong for him in the last 24 hours,” Wolff continued.
Antonelli admits need for improvement
On the other side of the garage, race winner Andrea Kimi Antonelli was self-critical despite his success this season – winning two of three Grands Prix.
The young Italian admitted he needs to “raise his game” after a frustrating start to the Japanese Grand Prix, where he lost ground early on.
While Antonelli recovered well, the slow start exposed a weakness that could prove costly in tighter races, especially considering how fast the Ferraris got off the line.
“I was very annoyed with the start,” he said candidly. “I really need to find a way to do good starts because to be fair, it looked like we were doing a good job for the whole weekend.”
Fine margins out front
Mercedes may currently have the benchmark car, but the situation in Suzuka showed how quickly things can become complicated.
With a break before the next race in Miami, Wolff and his team will have time to analyse and respond.
Much like their rivals, the focus will now be on marginal gains. Because in a season already defined by close competition, even small improvements could make all the difference.
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SportJustSport writers