Wolff says Antonelli's wheel failure cost an epic battle

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff argued that Kimi Antonelli was on course for an “epic battle” with Charles Leclerc for the British Grand Prix win before a front‑left wheel‑shield failure derailed his charge.

Antonelli had started from pole after a dominant sprint race, lost the lead at the start as both Ferraris jumped ahead, then reclaimed second place by passing Lewis Hamilton on lap 11. A pit stop for fresh hard tyres left him seven‑and‑a‑half seconds behind Leclerc but on fresher rubber. The wheel‑shield problem on Turn 9 forced two additional stops and a five‑second penalty for track‑limit violations, dropping him to 15th outside the points.

The setback trimmed Antonelli’s championship lead to 25 points over teammate George Russell, who finished second in his home race. Wolff said the team will conduct a post‑mortem on the carbon‑part failure to prevent a repeat, stressing that “a car should not break”. With another mechanical issue having cost him a podium in Barcelona, Antonelli now faces pressure to bounce back in the next round.