ANTONELLI SAYS EXTRA PIT STOP “PUT GEORGE AT RISK” TOO

Antonelli second-guessed Mercedes' late-race strategy call at Zandvoort, even though it secured him second place. The team pitted him under a Virtual Safety Car with 16 laps remaining, dropping him from second to third behind teammate George Russell on older rubber. Mercedes then ordered Russell to cede position, which Antonelli called "tricky" and potentially risky for both drivers. He argued they could have stayed out on the same set of hard tyres and avoided the choreography entirely.

The extra stop didn't help close the gap to Norris anyway — McLaren's pace in the second half was untouchable. Antonelli admitted he struggled with car feel all weekend, made mistakes in both qualifying sessions and the race, and was never likely to win. Second was the maximum available once McLaren hit their stride. If Mercedes keeps second-guessing themselves on strategy while McLaren runs clean races, that pace gap will only get harder to bridge.