Andrea Kimi Antonelli has a clear goal in mind for the last Dutch GP. The Grand Prix between the Dutch dunes will disappear from the Formula 1 calendar after 2026. For Kimi Antonelli, this is an extra reason to finally secure a long-awaited victory for Mercedes at the Zandvoort circuit: ‘The last time Mercedes won here was in 1955,’ the driver explains.
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In the Grands Prix before the summer break, the Mercedes team saw both Ferrari and McLaren break the dominance of the Silver Arrows. Andrea Kimi Antonelli therefore expects these two teams to be the biggest threat again in Zandvoort. “And of course Red Bull,” he adds to the media present in Zandvoort. “You can never underestimate Max (Verstappen, ed.).”
Mercedes has not brought any major upgrades for the W17 since the Canadian GP, which is why Lando Norris’s victory in Hungary was not surprising according to Kimi Antonelli. However, in Zandvoort, he hopes to turn the tide by getting the most out of the current car before the next upgrades arrive later in the season.
“Zandvoort is honestly a really great circuit,” the young Italian also laments the disappearance of the Dutch GP from the F1 calendar. “It is very technical, and it is certainly not easy to put together a lap here. That makes it very unfortunate to lose such a circuit, but you never know if it might return one day. It is really a very fun circuit also as a driver.”
‘Last Mercedes win at Zandvoort was in 1955’
Kimi Antonelli therefore also has a clear goal for the provisional last Dutch Grand Prix. “Mercedes hasn’t won here since 1955, so that was a while ago. We would like to finish with a victory, both for myself and for the team,” the Italian concludes. The last Mercedes driver to win at Zandvoort was Juan Manuel Fangio.
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Read everything here about the Dutch GP in Zandvoort
