{
  "id": 2980591,
  "title": "Mercedes no longer have the fastest car in F1, says Antonelli",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/24/mercedes-no-longer-have-the-fastest-car-in-f1-says-antonelli-2980591",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-24T07:28:30.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Free Malaysia Today",
    "slug": "free-malaysia-today-freemalays",
    "url": "https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/sports/2026/08/24/mercedes-no-longer-have-the-fastest-car-in-f1-says-antonelli"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "At the Dutch Grand Prix in Zandvoort, McLaren achieved a significant boost over their rivals Mercedes, who now no longer possess the fastest car in Formula One, according to championship leader Kimi Antonelli. The reigning champion Lando Norris secured his second pole position win in succession at Zandvoort, with Mercedes teammates Kimi Antonelli and George Russell occupying the second and third positions. Antonelli, who had previously won five races in a row earlier in the season, admitted that Mercedes is no longer the quickest car on the grid. However, McLaren's recent upgrade package has given them a substantial advantage, especially since Hungary. Norris, who was overtaken by Antonelli at the restart and had to overtake him on track before ultimately winning the race, disagreed with Antonelli's assertion. He expressed that his victory would be more justified if he hadn't taken out Antonelli. Norris acknowledged that Mercedes has a better all-round-performing car, but believes McLaren's high-speed performance superiority justifies their win. Ferrari is expected to perform well at their home Grand Prix at Monza with upcoming upgrades, while Antonelli will face heavy grid penalties due to an engine change. Mercedes remains ahead of both Ferrari and McLaren in the Constructors' Championship, having scored more points than any other team. Norris noted that Mercedes's slow-speed advantage is 'crazy,' and he is uncertain about fighting for the championship with the current car. Mercedes boss Toto Wolff mentioned that cost-cap restrictions limit the team's ability to develop the car as rapidly as desired. McLaren's principal, Andrea Stella, expects Mercedes to accelerate their car's development regardless, with the expectation of converting potential upgrades into real car modifications.",
  "summary": "Kimi Antonelli said McLaren's upgrade at the Hungarian GP had delivered a major improvement, leaving Mercedes behind in terms of pace.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}