Kimi Antonelli noticed ‘weird’ Ferrari problem while following them at Austrian Grand Prix

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Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli remarked on Ferrari’s strange deployment after Sunday’s Austrian Grand Prix.

Antonelli lined up fourth at the Red Bull Ring, directly behind the Ferrari cars, but ended up finishing ahead of both.

He eased past Charles Leclerc on track and got the better of Lewis Hamilton through strategy on what was a disappointing day for Mercedes’ nearest challengers.

Kimi Antonelli surprised by Ferrari energy deployment at Austrian Grand Prix

Antonelli’s overtake on Leclerc was unusual, with the Italian eating up several car lengths on the run to the penultimate corner. The flashing light on the rear of the SF-26 indicated that they were harvesting energy.

There was a moment beforehand where Antonelli nearly collided with the Monegasque, such was the speed difference.

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“They were deploying so weirdly,” the championship leader said in the cooldown room. “I almost crashed with Leclerc into turn one in lap two because of the speed difference, probably 30kph!”

Max Verstappen noted that Ferrari were strong in the low-speed corners, but that wasn’t enough to prevent Hamilton and Leclerc dropping to fifth and eighth respectively at the chequered flag.

Ferrari brought an engine upgrade to the Austrian GP, making use of the ‘ADUO’ catch-up mechanism in this year’s regulations, but it didn’t appear to make an immediate difference, at least in race trim.

Indeed, after qualifying, Hamilton said Ferrari’s ‘Achilles heel’ is obvious – a lack of straight-line speed compared to Mercedes.

Hamilton has relinquished second place in the drivers’ standings to George Russell, while Ferrari have fallen nearly 100 behind Mercedes in the constructors’.

Silverstone, which plays host to next weekend’s British Grand Prix, is also regarded as a power circuit, but it features more high-speed corners that could bring out the aerodynamic strength of the Ferrari car.