Formula 1 today: Mercedes explains Antonelli's spin in Brazil

Mercedes has analysed Andrea Kimi Antonelli's spin at the Brazilian GP 2026. According to the team, it was not caused by a technical fault but by tyres that were too cold. Deputy team principal Bradley Lord gave the explanation in the team's debrief.

According to motorsport-total.com, Lord said the data showed that the team had "simply been operating below the tyres' optimal temperature window". In Sunday's cool conditions, that made the car difficult to drive and very prone to oversteer, especially on the soft tyres. Antonelli had initially been leading the race. After switching from intermediates to slicks, he lost the rear under braking for the first corner. He flat-spotted all four tyres in the process, which hurt his pace from then on.

The lead passed to Lando Norris, who went on to win the race for McLaren. Antonelli finished fifth, 41.017 seconds behind the winner, directly behind his teammate George Russell.

Lance Stroll had to park his Aston Martin in Brazil after 30 laps. According to honda.racing, a battery problem was to blame. His car had already suffered a battery failure on Saturday.

According to motorsport-total.com, Honda chief engineer Shintaro Orihara said the team knows what happened but not yet why. Finding the cause could take several weeks. To do so, Honda is going through the data and examining the battery itself. It remains unclear whether the damage is linked to mileage or to how the unit was operated. Orihara stressed that without a countermeasure for 2027, the problem will keep coming back. By motorsport-total.com's count, this was already Stroll's 13th retirement of the season.

Laurent Mekies, team principal of Red Bull Racing, won't comment on the future of Liam Lawson. The choice of drivers lies solely with Racing Bulls, he said, according to motorsport-total.com. It is fair that the sister team is taking its time, as from Red Bull Racing's point of view there is no need to rush.

According to gpfans.com, Lawson's contract expires at the end of 2026. Racing Bulls team principal Alan Permane expects an announcement in the coming weeks. Lawson finished seventh in Brazil and sits 9th in the standings with 89 points.

Oliver Bearman started 6th in Brazil but finished only 17th. He puts the blame on the pit stops of the Haas F1 Team. According to motorsport-total.com, he pointed to his 20-second pit stop: when the gaps are that tight, standing in the pits for that long ends your race.

Team principal Ayao Komatsu explained the long first stop with damage to the rear of the car. It came from contact with Fernando Alonso on the first lap, and the team was not yet aware of it at the time of the stop. In the constructors' standings, Haas is 7th with 31 points, with Audi next on 28 points.

Next up on the calendar is the Las Vegas GP 2026. The opening free practice session starts on Friday, 20 November, at 01:30 German time. Qualifying follows on Saturday, 21 November, at 05:00, and the race on Sunday, 22 November, at 05:00.