Mercedes mechanics responded to a stunt by Andrea Kimi Antonelli with a prank of their own during the current F1 break, according to publicly available reporting from GP Today.
The Mercedes rookie, who leads team-mate George Russell by nine points in the 2026 drivers’ championship after three races, found himself on the receiving end of retaliation from the team’s garage crew. The exact nature of both Antonelli’s initial action and the mechanics’ response has not been detailed in available reports.
Antonelli’s Early Season Form
The 19-year-old Italian joined Mercedes for 2026 alongside Russell after Lewis Hamilton’s move to Ferrari. Antonelli has made a strong start to his debut F1 season, taking the championship lead through the opening three rounds in Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and Japan.
Russell sits second in the standings, nine points behind his younger team-mate. The British driver described a “challenging race in Japan” during a recent appearance at an IWC Schaffhausen event, but expressed confidence that Mercedes has “a really good package beneath us” for the remainder of the season.
The dynamic between Antonelli and the Mercedes garage crew appears to include the kind of informal exchanges common in F1 team environments during race weekends and factory time. Hamilton, who spent twelve seasons with Mercedes before his 2025 departure, often referenced the close relationships between drivers and mechanics as a factor in team cohesion.
Return to Action in Miami
Mercedes returns to competition at the Miami Grand Prix on April 27, the fourth round of the 2026 season. The team will look to extend its early advantage over Red Bull Racing and Ferrari in both championships when F1 resumes at the Hard Rock Stadium circuit.
Russell used the five-week break between Japan and Miami to support Mercedes development driver Doriane Pin during her first F1 test at Silverstone, and to visit South Garda Karting in Italy alongside team principal Toto Wolff and F1 Academy managing director Susie Wolff. Whether Antonelli participated in similar activities during the break, or remained at the factory in Brackley, has not been reported.