Mercedes has kept a perfect 4‑0 record after the opening four Grands Prix, but the Miami race exposed a glaring weakness. Both Kimi Antonelli and George Russell lost a combined 18 places on the first lap, adding six more in the sprint and two in the main race. Upgrades from rivals made the gap feel tighter than earlier in the season this season.

Team boss Toto Wolff dismissed driver blame, calling the poor launches a “team mistake” and “not acceptable” for a title‑contending outfit. He said Mercedes must improve clutch control and grip estimates before the Canadian Grand Prix, where the first major aero package of the year is slated. The FIA’s low‑power start detection will not rescue the team, only curb dangerous stalls for the team.

Wolff warned that reliance on raw pace cannot mask repeated launch errors as rivals close the performance gap. With Ferrari already exploiting a smaller turbo for better starts, Mercedes faces pressure to dig deeper into telemetry and hardware fixes. Until the issue is solved, the team’s championship lead will hinge on converting qualifying advantage into race‑day results.