Palmer Warns Antonelli's Poor Starts Could Cost Him in Monaco

Former F1 driver Jolyon Palmer has warned that Kimi Antonelli's recurring weakness in race starts could turn into a critical liability at the Monaco Grand Prix. Despite extending his championship lead to 20 points with a win in Miami, the 19-year-old lost the lead from pole on the opening lap when Charles Leclerc swept past. Palmer highlighted that circuits with short runs to Turn 1, particularly Monaco, leave no room for error.

Why it matters:

Antonelli leads the drivers' standings, but his start issues could cost him crucial points at the most track-position-dependent circuit on the calendar. Monaco offers virtually no overtaking opportunities after Turn 1, meaning a poor launch from pole essentially forfeits the win. With the championship battle still open, fixing this weakness is urgent.

The details:

• Palmer on F1 TV: "It's a short run to Turn 1 in Canada. It's a shorter run to Turn 1 in Monaco. If he can't sort it out by Monaco, he could be on pole, there's no chance he'll win if he can't start there."
• Antonelli openly admitted starts are his main area for improvement: "Today, to be fair, was not as bad. I think I lost two places, sprint I lost six. But still, it's not acceptable. It can really change the race when the gaps are closer."
• He cited inconsistency on clutch drop and a lack of confidence: "I still don't have that confidence, being consistent with that. I still have a bit of uncertainty."
• The Mercedes rookie showed marginal improvement from the sprint (lost 6 places) to the feature race (lost 2 in Miami), but knows that won't cut it in Monaco.

What's next:

Antonelli and Mercedes are working on both procedure and grip level understanding. Canada follows Monaco, also with a short run to Turn 1, but overtaking is possible there. However, Monaco is the ultimate test: if starts aren't fixed, even pole position won't guarantee victory. The team will focus on refining clutch release and driver confidence ahead of the next race.