Kimi Antonelli is excited about his first year in Formula 1 with Mercedes. At the Las Vegas Grand Prix, he will once again be a rookie on this track, having never driven here before. His goal is to push hard and continue the momentum from Brazil. This clear path of growth is helping him mature, allowing him to approach the weekend with a broader vision—a perfect move to maximize his performance.
Antonelli: growth with Mercedes comes from seeing the weekend more broadly
Kimi shares the story of his first year in Formula 1, an unexpected debut filled with challenges. Every single mistake has helped him grow, allowing him to collect and analyze data to improve. The Bolognese driver has developed his potential while remaining aware that he is just at the beginning of his career in the top tier of motorsport. There is still more pushing to be done.
“It has been an incredible season, an incredible journey. There are still three races left, and I really want to finish strong, close the year well, and then start focusing on the next one. We are talking about a huge learning curve. Of course, I’ve had my highs and my lows, but I think it’s been an amazing experience—not just as a driver but also as a person. I’ve grown a lot,” Kimi Antonelli said.
The Italian talent’s exponential growth is also reflected in his character. In a championship as demanding as Formula 1, where pressure is immense, especially for a young rookie, personality counts. This journey has matured him personally, helping him focus on what matters most to extract the best performance.
“Personally, I’ve changed a lot. I’m not talking about my character, but the way I see and approach things. Now I realize I can see things much more maturely. I’ve also learned a lot about myself—understanding my needs during race weekends and even outside the race environment. These are all the things that allow me to perform at my best,” he added.
Las Vegas GP: a new track but the same drive to excel—Kimi wants to repeat his Brazil performance
Kimi delivered his best race weekend of the season at the last Grand Prix in Brazil. Despite being unfamiliar with the track, his approach and concentration gave the young Mercedes driver an extra edge. He narrowly missed pole position twice, achieving two crucial front-row starts that ultimately led to two important second-place finishes.
This includes both the sprint race and the 300-kilometer main race. His performance level continues to rise, and he has no intention of easing off. His goal is to improve further. Starting tonight (Italian time), Antonelli will begin learning a new circuit. In Thursday’s usual interviews, Kimi confirmed he will give everything to gain confidence with the track.
“I’ll try to learn the track as quickly as possible to find the pace needed to perform well. Every single lap will be extremely important, especially with such significant track evolution,” the 19-year-old said. He added, “It will be crucial to make the most of every run, keep improving, and reflect that progress in my driving.” – he pointed out.
Finally, he highlighted the importance of his work approach combined with his growth path, aiming to make it count in Las Vegas: “Of course, I’ll try to give as much feedback as possible to the team in the correct way to improve the car setup. The goal is to grow step by step.”
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