The mental coach and founder of Formula Medicine, Riccardo Ceccarelli, after attending the Miami Grand Prix, collected impressions from inside the Formula 1 paddock regarding young Bologna-born driver Kimi Antonelli. Beyond the natural ease with which he drives the Mercedes W17, Antonelli is also impressing insiders with his ability to handle pressure in an extremely mature way. However, he will need to avoid a situation similar to Oscar Piastri’s downturn last year.
The Miami GP marked a magical moment in Kimi Antonelli’s early Formula 1 career. Three pole positions and three victories have already broken several early records for the young Italian driver, but beyond the statistics, the American round confirmed his ability to stay at the very top of F1 without appearing overwhelmed by pressure.
Also present in Florida was Riccardo Ceccarelli, mental coach and head of Formula Medicine, who experienced the atmosphere of the paddock firsthand and drew several interesting conclusions.
“After 37 years in the paddock, it is normal to consider it an environment that is a bit like a jungle, where those who are born into it, from the noises and smells, can perceive whether there is danger or not. I like going into the paddock because I pick up on the feelings of the people working there,” he said.
When asked what he sensed in Miami, Ceccarelli added:
“The main takeaway is that Kimi is gaining a credibility that goes beyond the prestigious results he is achieving. There is transversal respect from almost everyone in the paddock, and that makes me very happy because the environment sees in the Bologna-born driver a champion who can shape the coming years and deliver consistent results to write new pages in motorsport history.”
Is it too early to say that? Toto Wolff has urged people not to put too much pressure on Antonelli.
“The people in the paddock clearly see the enormous potential of this boy. If we analyse the situation rationally, it becomes clear that despite being only 19 years old, he is achieving extraordinary results compared to a highly experienced driver like George Russell, who comes with a huge amount of expectations and very strong evaluations.”
What has impressed you most about Kimi in particular?
“The naturalness with which Kimi achieves great results is the same naturalness with which he celebrates them. The Bologna-born driver always keeps his feet on the ground and approaches every Grand Prix with humility, as if what he has achieved so far does not matter at all, and he is fully focused on continuing to work on himself to improve.”
“All these aspects together make Kimi one of those drivers who earns the respect of those who are truly able to evaluate talent, without getting carried away by one-off breakthroughs from drivers who may later disappear, but instead identifying those who have the traits of true champions.”
Should we already consider Antonelli a title contender despite his young age?
“Absolutely. The feeling in the paddock is that he can fight for the world championship regardless of age, almost as if Kimi already had four or five seasons of Formula 1 experience behind him and were already 23 or 24 years old.”
“However, there are always dangers. If we want to sound a warning bell, we must remember Oscar Piastri’s position last year when he arrived in Imola leading the championship. The Australian had delivered excellent races and everyone said this talented young driver was destined to win the world title. Why do I mention Piastri? Because he did not confirm that form: he experienced a drop in performance at the end of the season that still remains difficult to fully explain for many of us. Kimi may find himself in a similar situation to Piastri last year, so he must be careful, because when you are at the top of the standings and everything is going well, there are many traps around the corner. However, Kimi shows extraordinary naturalness: he is always smiling and calm, with the attitude of someone who seems to have full control of the situation.”
And how should he protect himself?
“No athlete has a clear, easy path. The challenges will come, and Kimi will need to work to overcome them without consequences, because it is easier to perform when there are no expectations, while everything becomes more complicated when you arrive at the top. Pressure increases, as do expectations from the public, fans, media, engineers, team members, and even rivals, and the risk is to perform below your true level. Kimi, however, seems ready to face pressure naturally: the difficult things he does look simple.”
In 2025, Piastri never truly appeared to have dominated Lando Norris, while Antonelli’s rise has coincided with a dip in performance from his teammate…
“George Russell is going through a bit of a difficult phase and shows signs of nervousness, which come through in some rather negative team radio messages. He sometimes tends to shift blame externally, towards the team or strategy errors. Antonelli’s strength is his calmness, as if he never wastes energy unnecessarily, while George seems to be getting caught in a spiral and is starting to struggle with the gap.”
“This Antonelli dominating with apparent ease reminds me of Lewis Hamilton’s debut at McLaren against Fernando Alonso. The young Brit was taking pole positions and victories with ease and the Woking team was gradually being shaped around him, while the Spaniard became increasingly frustrated and got involved in controversies. The result was that Alonso made mistakes and the team moved away from him, eventually leading to a breakdown in the relationship.”
The young driver seen as an intruder?
“For an experienced driver, it is not an easy role to accept, especially when you are driving a competitive car in what should be a winning season. The young driver, who should be your successor, does not behave like a supporting role but instead takes centre stage. Clearly, this situation is destabilising for someone who had mentally prepared to be the leading figure. It is easy to lose calm, and anxiety, nervousness, and tension begin to appear, limiting your potential. We will have to see whether Russell finds the balance to recover and whether Kimi can maintain this mental state of someone fully aware of his potential. When Antonelli moves around the paddock with his family, he looks more like a mechanic who has just finished working in the garage than a driver winning races, leading the championship, and being watched by everyone.”
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