Mercedes have praised Kimi Antonelli for the progress he has made during his rookie F1 season. The teenager is now “finding his feet more quickly” at race weekends after initially approaching early rounds “with a degree of caution.”
Antonelli jumped from F4 to F1 in just over three years. He secured a 2025 race seat at the Silver Arrows alongside Grand Prix winner George Russell. The 18-year-old Italian impressed early with a charge from 16th to fourth in the Australian Grand Prix. However, he struggled for consistency in the following races.
Breakthrough Moments in Rookie Year
His breakthrough came with a maiden pole position during Sprint Qualifying in Miami and a first F1 podium in Canada. After that podium, Antonelli admitted he had “overreacted” to his dramatic Free Practice debut crash at Monza last year. He felt he had been “a bit too safe” in his approach since then.
Mercedes Technical Director James Allison agreed with that view.
“We talk about this a bit internally, and it may just be more gossip than reality, but the trip into the barrier at Monza, I think that may have just left him approaching the weekends with a degree of caution as a result. We’ve been encouraging him to sort of trust [his] talent: ‘You can lean into that more than you think you can’. As he gets the confidence to do that, he’s finding his feet more quickly during the weekend.”
Learning from George Russell’s High Standards
Antonelli is seventh in the Drivers’ Championship with 64 points. Russell sits fourth on 172 points with one race win and five more podiums. Allison called Russell’s pace and experience “a brilliant apprenticeship” for Antonelli.
“George has barely put a foot wrong… That’s obviously giving Kimi a very high standard to shoot for. I’m pleased with the fact that Kimi… has been able to get close to George as the weekend’s gone on.”
Mercedes reverted to an older suspension specification mid-season. The change helped Antonelli return to the points in Hungary. He said he was “getting the confidence back” after that result.
With Russell setting “a very, very high bar” and Antonelli adapting faster, Mercedes believe the young driver is on track to become a consistent front-runner.
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