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'Don't Fight Norris': Mercedes Order to Antonelli in Hungary Raises Questions
During the Hungarian Grand Prix, Mercedes instructed driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli not to resist an approaching Lando Norris, raising questions about the team's fighting spirit.
By Nadia van Leeuwen - 2026-07-29T09:49:17.000Z - 3 min read
Following a dominant start to the 2026 Formula 1 season, in which Mercedes won six of the first seven races in a row, a turning point appeared to occur in Hungary. Where Ferrari had previously been the only challenger able to defeat Mercedes, McLaren suddenly emerged as a serious threat to the very top. The race at the Hungaroring would make this painfully clear for the German team, particularly in their communications with young talent Andrea Kimi Antonelli.
Antonelli was leading the race when Lando Norris rapidly closed in during the second half of the Grand Prix. Equipped with significantly fresher tires—seventeen laps younger than Antonelli's—the McLaren looked inevitable in making its way past. On lap 44, two laps before Norris actually reached Antonelli's Mercedes, a striking instruction came over the team radio. Race engineer Peter Bonnington told Antonelli: 'Norris on 1.8 [seconds], we don't want to waste time racing him.'
Two laps later, Norris indeed arrived at the back of Antonelli's car. The Brit attempted a move on the inside of turn one, but ran wide, granting Antonelli the opportunity to repass him before turn two. Despite this brief revival, Antonelli immediately received another reminder from Bonnington: 'Let's not waste time here, Kimi.' Norris's superior tires made the overtake inevitable for Mercedes.
What followed was a strategic discussion that placed Mercedes' fighting spirit under scrutiny. On lap 53, Antonelli himself asked over the team radio if it was possible to finish the race without an additional pit stop. Bonnington's reply was clear: the team did not believe the tires would last. Antonelli was brought in shortly after for new rubber, causing him to drop further behind the McLaren.
After the race, in the cool-down room, Norris made an interesting comment to Antonelli that cast Mercedes' swift surrender in a different light. The McLaren driver told Antonelli he felt his overtake at that specific moment was his only chance. 'I honestly thought if I didn't pass you that lap, I'd be stuck behind you,' Norris said. He added that Antonelli was 'very strong' through the final corners, whereas McLaren struggled there.
The pit stop and subsequent events did not make Antonelli's race any easier. The timing of his stop and a Virtual Safety Car period hampered his efforts to fight back to second place. Passing backmarkers also proved challenging, partly due to issues with the FIA's blue flag system, which cost him extra time. Ultimately, Antonelli had to settle for third place.
Norris's comments raise the question of whether Mercedes surrendered too quickly, despite Antonelli's apparent willingness to keep fighting. After the race, a tired Antonelli described his race as 'very tough' and 'damage limitation after yesterday.' The incident in Hungary can be seen as a tipping point where Mercedes found itself curbing its driver's fighting spirit against a rising competitor.
The debate over Mercedes' strategic choices and the nature of their communication with Antonelli will undoubtedly echo through the paddock for some time. It illustrates a competitive shift and a team struggling with its dominance, forced into tactics that project more uncertainty than confidence.
In the end, Antonelli finished the race in third, a result deemed 'not bad' by the team. Yet the race left the impression that more was possible, or at least that the driver's fighting spirit was evaluated differently than he might have envisioned himself.