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Jacques Villeneuve believes Mercedes showed they have a weakness during the Japanese Grand Prix that will cost them down the line.
Antonelli managed to win the Japanese Grand Prix quite handily, securing a near-14-second gap between himself and Oscar Piastri in P2.
Antonelli considered himself lucky after the win, as a well-timed safety car allowed him to pit and change tyres at the perfect moment.
How the championship looks after Japan
Which drivers are out of position heading into the break?
Antonelli became the first teenager to win multiple Grands Prix with his success in Suzuka. But for, George Russell, his streak of podium finishes this season ended at two, as he had to settle for P4.
But for all the success Mercedes experienced at the Japanese Grand Prix, Jacques Villeneuve believes one of their glaring issues was exposed.
READ MORE: Karun Chandhok says Ferrari must ‘force’ Mercedes into using the battery ‘where they don’t want to’
Jacques Villeneuve claims Mercedes can’t fight in traffic like other cars
Jacques Villeneuve spoke on the F1 post-race show about the issues Mercedes faced during the Japanese Grand Prix despite their success.
Villeneuve questioned why Kimi Antonelli squandered his pole position at the start of the race. Going further, he pointed out that Mercedes don’t look like they can battle through traffic like other teams can.
“He was the quickest car all weekend. Winning was logical. But he really messed up his start. Does that really make you a winner? Is he deserving? Who knows.
“And he had a hard to come back through the field. And it was the same thing for Russell. It seems that car in traffic, all the other ones can fight, can stay in traffic. Then, the Mercedes can’t.
“They need to be in the fresh air. Then, obviously, a little bit of a helping hand, and he maximised that situation.
“He was very good at that. And when you want to win a race, you also need to take the situations and put them in your favour.”
READ MORE: Kimi Antonelli asserts he’ll be ready for George Russell’s ‘mind games’ during Mercedes title fight
Who was your Driver of the Day from the Japanese Grand Prix?
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Toto Wolff admits ‘backwards’ result for George Russell due to qualifying mishap
Toto Wolff also spoke on the show about Mercedes’ struggles, specifically with George Russell, and how their set-up from qualifying held Russell back almost the entire weekend.
“I think where it went wrong was in qualifying with the set-up, and then everything in the race. You can see the start wasn’t great. As I mentioned, we need to work on that, and then, we were unlucky with the safety car.
“Then, we gave him a super clip, which was unintended in terms of energy harvesting and that cost him the position to Leclerc. That’s why it went backwards.”
Russell would end up finishing P4, despite trying to battle with Charles Leclerc and even passing him late in the race at one point.
Mercedes’ initial dominance this season has started to wane, and they will use the upcoming hiatus to address their weak points so that they can keep their lead and build on it once the season resumes.
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