Antonelli sees Mercedes make Austin progress with upgrade package

Kimi Antonelli believes Mercedes made useful progress with its latest package during Friday practice for the United States Grand Prix, though the car remains difficult to optimise.

The championship leader finished FP2 just 0.042 seconds behind session pace-setter Charles Leclerc, after describing the car as more comfortable than it had been in the opening session. Mercedes’ improved afternoon followed a difficult start at the Circuit of The Americas, where balance problems limited its work.

Mercedes finds a better balance in FP2

Mercedes brought a new front-wing option to Austin to complement the larger update introduced in Malaysia two races ago. The earlier changes raised the car’s performance potential, but also made it more sensitive and harder to place in its ideal operating window.

After splitting specifications in Singapore, Antonelli and George Russell were both running the latest version in Texas. Antonelli said having the same package on both cars gave the team a clearer basis for comparing set-ups. He added that analysis since Singapore had helped Mercedes understand what the upgrade needed, while stressing that more work remained to get the car into the right window.

Trackside engineering director Andrew Shovlin said Mercedes had struggled with locking in FP1, affecting both qualifying simulations and long runs. The team changed the cars’ positions in the set-up range for the afternoon, which brought fewer balance problems and a more predictable response, he said.

Russell ended FP2 fifth, around seven tenths behind Leclerc. His first soft-tyre attempt was deleted for exceeding track limits, while a large snap through the Esses compromised his next effort.

Rear-tyre management could decide qualifying

Long-run indications pointed to a close contest among the leading teams, with Red Bull and Ferrari appearing slightly ahead of Mercedes and McLaren. Mercedes also identified rear-tyre condition as a key concern for qualifying: drivers were locking up or leaving the track as the tyres faded during runs.

Deputy team principal Bradley Lord said the challenge would be preserving the rear rubber through the twisty final sector, while finding a set-up that allowed the car to rotate without excessive throttle use.

Antonelli could theoretically secure his first world title in Austin, but only with a win, Russell finishing ninth or lower, and Lewis Hamilton ending fifth or lower. Lord described that outcome as a remote possibility, saying Mercedes’ priority was to score as many points as possible rather than treat this as a match point. The championship storyline has also drawn attention in Kimi Raikkonen’s view of Antonelli’s title potential.

Mercedes’ work to close the performance gap has featured in Antonelli’s comments on the team’s pace, but Friday’s improvement offered encouragement ahead of qualifying.