ANTONELLI WAS “CONCERNED” BY THREAT FROM VERSTAPPEN’S EARLY PIT STOP IN AUSTIN

Antonelli held off Verstappen's early strategic pressure to take Mercedes' first win since the Malaysia upgrade, one-stopping his way through Austin. Verstappen pitted on lap 14 for a two-stop built around saved soft sets from qualifying. Antonelli admitted he was "concerned" staying out, but Mercedes stretched mediums into hards and the tires delivered.

The team had no fresh softs after quali, forcing the conservative call. The hard compound proved surprisingly robust—stronger than the softs that dominated recent races. Antonelli managed degradation without drama while Verstappen's two-stop netted nothing.

The W17 upgrade is finally clicking in high- and medium-speed corners, though front locking in slow sections lingers. The car's got genuine pace now. If Mercedes can clean up the low-speed issues, Antonelli will have more wins coming.