Andrea Kimi Antonelli on Mercedes difficulties: “Managing pressure has been tough”. Mercedes rookie Andrea Kimi Antonelli discusses the early-season performance drop.

After an impressive start to his debut season, Antonelli has experienced a noticeable slowdown. Following the Grand Prix in Imola, he struggled to maintain his initial momentum, largely due to a problematic car upgrade introduced by Mercedes. The rookie described how this dip in form has been challenging to overcome.

The Imola setback

Antonelli began his first F1 season with strong results, scoring points in five of the opening six races. However, the home race at Imola marked a turning point. Mercedes introduced a rear suspension upgrade on the W16 that proved unstable, negatively affecting Antonelli’s confidence in the car. Despite these challenges, the Italian managed a silver lining in Canada, where he achieved his first podium finish.

He also recovered in Hungary and Monza, scoring his first European points in Budapest and adding two more points in Italy. Now, Kimi Antonelli is focused on regaining full form to be competitive in Baku.

Handling the pressure

When asked how team and fan expectations affect him, Antonelli reflected on the positive and negative sides of pressure. He stated, “I usually try to see pressure as something not negative. There’s a well-known saying that ‘pressure is a privilege,’ and I fully agree with that. You have to accept it and even use it as fuel to get on track and perform.”

He admitted, however, that the recent difficulties made it hard to manage the pressure effectively: “Because I faced so many challenges, I couldn’t handle the pressure well. That has been a bit of my weak point.”

Mercedes support

When asked if the team had helped him cope with pressure, Kimi Antonelli praised Mercedes’ support during difficult moments. “Of course, when you feel good and have confidence in yourself, you can handle pressure much better. Canada was a good example—during the race, I was under pressure, but thanks to the team, I was able to stay calm and focus on what I needed to achieve.”

He concluded, “Regarding your question about team support, they always try to back me up and help, especially in difficult moments. This makes the pressure feel a bit lighter because you know the team is behind you.”