Antonelli seeks answers after spin ends Brazilian GP win bid

A spin at Interlagos’s first corner on lap 20 ended Kimi Antonelli’s bid for victory in the Brazilian Grand Prix. Antonelli said the car had felt unusual after he switched to soft tyres and that the rear lost grip without warning; he did not know why.

Antonelli had taken the lead from polesitter Lando Norris at the start and held it through the first pit-stop round. Norris’s undercut had already cut into his advantage. Antonelli recovered from the spin, but Norris had passed him for the lead; balance problems then cost him further places to Isack Hadjar and Max Verstappen.

His concerns predated the spin: Antonelli had reported a possible suspension problem and said the car pulled to one side under acceleration. After the race, he told Sky the rear felt especially unstable in high-speed left-hand corners and said Mercedes needed to check the rear geometry. No clear cause had emerged during the race.

Antonelli said the spin flat-spotted all four tyres, making his recovery harder. A second set of soft tyres restored his pace enough to challenge Hadjar late on. He said he was angry and disappointed with his own race, but would set that aside to celebrate Mercedes clinching the constructors’ title.