Antonelli had looked set to salvage second place after passing teammate George Russell with five laps remaining, only to slow one lap later and pull to the side of the circuit with his first retirement of the 2026 season.
The DNF came at a costly time for the championship leader, with Lewis Hamilton’s first victory for Ferrari cutting Antonelli’s advantage to 41 points.
It also ended Antonelli’s five-race winning streak and marked the first grand prix of the season Mercedes failed to win, with Russell finishing second and Lando Norris inheriting the final podium place.
Mercedes has now suffered two technical DNFs in the last three races, after Russell was also hit by a technical issue in Canada.
Antonelli said Mercedes had strong pace in Barcelona, particularly during the second stint, but admitted the retirement had left him frustrated after appearing on course for second.
“I think we were the quickest on track today. Okay Lewis at the end he was very quick, but second stint we were super quick,” Antonelli said.
Secure your spot today.
“The way we came back from the back. The pace was good. Was very good.
“Of course Lewis after the VSC was not possible to catch, and by the way I’m very happy for him for his win. It’s good to see that he got his first win with Ferrari.
“But on my side. Yeah. Very disappointing. I feel a bit empty to be fair right now.
“But at the same time, these things happen. It happens to everyone. And the most important is to come back stronger.”
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Antonelli had pressured Russell through the middle phase of the race before eventually clearing the Briton late on, only for his race to end almost immediately after.
While Hamilton’s three-stop strategy and the timing of a Virtual Safety Car proved decisive, Wolff suggested Mercedes left time on the table by allowing its two drivers to fight hard before Russell’s stop.
Asked if Hamilton was the one driver he would accept being beaten by, Wolff said the seven-time world champion deserved his breakthrough Ferrari victory.
“Then it’s Lewis Hamilton. I mean I’m happy for him. In a Ferrari. He’s waited a long time. And he’s worked very hard to get back on the top step of the podium and today he deserved it,” Wolff said.
However, Wolff was far less satisfied with Mercedes’ reliability after another major points loss for one of its drivers.
“We just can’t compete for a championship if we have every second race a car that’s losing fair points. It’s one then the other,” Wolff said.
“To finish first, first you have to finish. So that’s just not good enough.
“And then today we try to race fair in the team game. But maybe it’s cost us the win today.
“And that’s something which we need to discuss with the drivers. How are we doing it if we’re fighting somebody else for a race win?”
Wolff said the concern was not that the intra-team fight caused Antonelli’s retirement, but that Russell and Antonelli’s battle may have handed Hamilton critical time before the VSC swung the race towards Ferrari.
“No I don’t think so, but they raced each other quite hard before George’s stop,” he said.
“I think we lost about four or five or six seconds to Lewis. And then obviously with the VSC, it changed the order.”
Wolff added that Mercedes would review the situation internally, particularly with Ferrari emerging as a more serious threat after Hamilton’s win.
“It’s just George and Kimi racing hard. We’re leaving lap time on the track. And we need to discuss with them for the future,” he said.
Asked whether Ferrari and Hamilton were now a serious title threat, Antonelli acknowledged the Scuderia’s recent progress and reliability.
“I mean for sure they’re in incredible form. Ferrari is very reliable. But they’re quick as well,” Antonelli said.
“So we just need to maximise every opportunity that we have.
“And then try to do our best. It’s not going to be straightforward, but yeah I’m already looking forward to the next one because I really want to go back to where we left, or from where we were finishing before.”
Russell at least ensured Mercedes left Barcelona with a podium, but Wolff said the team still needed to understand why his pace faded compared to Antonelli later in the stints.
“I think George had incredible pace with the mediums, but that fell away towards the end of the stint,” Wolff said.
“And then on the two hards. And we need to analyse why that was.”
Mercedes still hold a sizeable lead over Ferrari in the constructors’ championship despite Hamilton’s win, sitting 72 points clear of their Italian rivals.
Superb Hamilton takes first Ferrari win in Barcelona as Antonelli retires late
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