Antonelli weeps, Mercedes falters, Verstappen shuts the door.

      "He's two to three tenths behind George."

      Mercedes is experiencing its toughest weekend of 2025 so far at Spa, coinciding with Toto Wolff's near confirmation that Max Verstappen will stay with Red Bull. The most evident indicator of this was not reflected in lap times but rather in emotions. Kimi Antonelli, the 18-year-old protégé of Wolff and the direct successor to Lewis Hamilton, faced a disappointing 18th place in qualifying and was visibly upset before addressing the media. Throughout his interviews, he held onto a crumpled tissue, his eyes red and his voice shaky. When asked by a Viaplay reporter, "Are you okay?" he replied, "Yeah, I'm okay." The interviewer followed up, "Yeah? Sure? Okay."

      The difficulties began within the car. On team radio, Antonelli expressed, "So sorry. Sorry." Pete Bonnington, a well-known name in the team, offered reassurance, saying, "Don’t sweat about it, mate." Later, still flustered, Antonelli explained to reporters, "It's just confidence. It's a tough moment for me. I just need to find my way out of the tunnel again."

      Team principal Wolff acknowledged the mismanagement of the sprint weekend in an interview with Sky Deutschland: "We did a long run during the only practice session, which was the wrong approach. They went into qualifying with just one fast lap from practice. That’s unacceptable, especially for a rookie." He attempted to alleviate some of the pressure on Antonelli with an unconventional proposal: "I told him I expected him to drive quickly, and if he crashed into the wall, I'd give him 500 euros cash. I simply want to prevent any lingering trauma."

      "He's two to three tenths behind George. That can't linger in his mind."

      Martin Brundle, a former F1 driver and respected pundit at Sky, cautioned, "Antonelli is in a very challenging phase, and the team must ensure it doesn’t escalate into a crisis for a young man under so much stress."

      George Russell managed to qualify only sixth and recognized that something is fundamentally amiss. "It was my worst qualifying of the season, as it was for Kimi," he remarked. "In the first six races of the season, we were on the podium four times. In the next six, only once. It’s logical to conclude that the team has fallen into the midfield."

      Wolff concurred: "This has been our weakest performance this year, and we need to quickly understand why."

      Meanwhile, speculation about Verstappen joining Mercedes has diminished. Wolff joked with Ralf Schumacher on Sky Deutschland that it was his fault for causing paparazzi chaos during their vacation, saying, "You brought the photographers to our holiday. Yes, it's quite nice when you have to hide."

      Wolff indicated that the team will likely maintain its current driver lineup for 2026. "We're 90 percent, no, 95 percent certain that we'll head into the new season with these drivers," stated the Austrian. When asked if this means Verstappen declined in Sardinia, Wolff responded, "There's no definitive 'no' yet. But our focus is on sticking with our lineup. That’s our decision. Everything else we need to explore and see what a four-time world champion chooses for the future."