F1 Las Vegas GP: Sky Sport F1 expert tips Kimi Antonelli for first victory. Matteo Bobbi believes Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli has the potential to score his first F1 victory.

Matteo Bobbi is confident: Kimi Antonelli enters the Las Vegas weekend as a frontrunner, and this could be the perfect opportunity for him to secure his first Formula 1 victory. During a live broadcast on Sky Sport F1, the analyst praised the young Mercedes driver without reservation, describing him as “fast, consistent, and now fully on the level of his teammate, who is far more experienced and decorated.”

Bobbi explained that the timing is favorable: “Mercedes will be a major contender, and everyone will have to deal with them. Kimi has the cards in his hand; now he just has to play them well.” This view was shared by Davide Camicioli, who recalled Antonelli’s solid weekend in Brazil, with two second-place finishes (Sprint and race), showing continuous improvement that makes him one of the most interesting profiles for the season’s final stretch.

FP1 and FP2: Antonelli starts off slowly, then recovers

The first practice session of the Las Vegas Grand Prix did not bring particular smiles for Kimi Antonelli, who finished FP1 in tenth place, just behind teammate George Russell, who was ninth. Mercedes was far from dominant, below the performance expected ahead of the weekend. According to official data, the young Italian posted a time +0.736 seconds from Charles Leclerc’s best lap, while Russell narrowly led him with +0.732.

In FP2, Antonelli confirmed the progress he showed in the last race: he finished second, just a few tenths behind Lando Norris, demonstrating not only raw speed but also excellent adaptation to the changing track conditions. The session, interrupted by two red flags, made data collection even more difficult, yet Kimi made the most of every available minute, remaining consistently at the top and showing a highly competitive pace.

Sky analysts also highlighted that Antonelli was “equal to Hamilton in every sector,” a key indicator ahead of a race that will be won by fine margins.

For Matteo Bobbi, the story seems already written: “This weekend can really give us something special. Here, where Michele Alboreto won his first GP, a victory for Antonelli would be a perfect circle for us Italians.”