Jolyon Palmer says Kimi Antonelli made Lewis Hamilton look like a ‘backmarker’ in Japan

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Jolyon Palmer says it was remarkable how easily Kimi Antonelli passed Lewis Hamilton at the start of the Japanese Grand Prix last weekend. Antonelli recovered from a poor start to win the race.

The Mercedes driver dropped from pole to sixth on the opening lap after yet another botched launch. But a combination of overtaking, formidable speed and a fortunately-timed safety car put Antonelli back at the front.

After Hamilton’s first Ferrari podium in China, it was hoped that he could challenge for victory in Japan. It was ultimately a frustrating weekend for the 41-year-old, who finished 25 seconds off the lead despite the mid-race safety car closing up the pack.

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Jolyon Palmer alarmed by ease of Mercedes’ overtakes in Japan

Antonelli re-passed Hamilton almost immediately at the start of the race, cruising by on the pit straight on lap two with the aid of his battery. He also cleared Lando Norris before the first wave of pit stops.

Meanwhile, teammate George Russell, who had dropped from second to fourth, easily got back ahead of Norris and Charles Leclerc and started chasing surprise leader Oscar Piastri.

Speaking in commentary for F1TV, Palmer said he was reminded of the 2014 season, the start of the turbo/hybrid era. Mercedes won 16 out of 19 races with an average gap of more than 20 seconds to the rest of the field.

• READ MORE: What Mercedes have discovered about their poor race starts vs Ferrari after ‘GPS analysis’

“It’s like 2014 again, isn’t it?” Palmer said. “The Mercedes look like they’ve got a second on anyone, the way they are cruising past a car a lap. These are their nearest rivals!

“They can’t muck around, Russell and Antonelli, because they’re racing each other. It’s like they’re clearing backmarkers at this stage, but it’s just frontrunning positions.

“They have to do it efficiently, because everytime Russell doesn’t make the move, there’s the risk that Antonelli will make the move and get onto his gearbox.”

Three wins in three races, but are Mercedes really trying?

There is a school of thought that Mercedes are holding back some engine performance to deny their rivals development aids. The ADUO system is available to teams who are more than two percent behind in the engine department.

While this is unlikely to work, the idea that Mercedes have speed in reserve, despite taking every pole position, every win and five out of six possible podiums, is ominous.

One alternative motive might be reliability. Rumours in China suggested Mercedes were only at 70% capacity because they aren’t yet sure the power unit can cope with maximum attack.

During the first stint of the Japanese GP, it felt as if Mercedes were laying down their authority. But while Antonelli built a commanding 13.7-second lead after the safety car, Russell was unable to pass Leclerc for the final podium place, which offers some hope to the chasing pack.