After enduring a difficult British Grand Prix weekend, enjoying a visit to Wimbledon where he met Roger Federer and Jannik Sinner, and then arriving at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, Kimi Antonelli once again found himself in the spotlight. This time, however, it had nothing to do with his driving performance, but rather with a witty remark that left the crowd laughing during the traditional fan Q&A session.
During the interview on stage, Antonelli was reminded that before tackling the famous Goodwood Hillclimb, event organizers had advised him not to push too hard. The young Italian initially joked that they had simply told him to drive. However, when the interviewer pointed out that the instructions had actually been quite different, the Mercedes driver delivered the perfect punchline: “I don’t listen.”
He said it with a smile, and the audience immediately burst into laughter.
The light-hearted exchange inevitably brought back memories of what had happened just days earlier at Silverstone. Towards the end of the British Grand Prix, Mercedes instructed the 19-year-old Italian to stop the car after a technical problem had severely compromised its performance. Instead, Antonelli chose to stay out until the chequered flag, ignoring the team’s instruction as he continued fighting in the hope of salvaging at least a single championship point.
At Goodwood, of course, the circumstances were completely different. There was no race, no championship pressure, just a celebration of motorsport designed to entertain thousands of fans. Yet the underlying theme appeared remarkably similar. On one side were the organizers asking him to take the Hillclimb cautiously; on the other was a racing driver whose instinct, the moment he climbs into the cockpit, is simply to push as hard as possible.
More than a genuine admission, Kimi Antonelli’s comment was a joke that perfectly reflected his personality. At the same time, it also captured one of the qualities that is quickly making him one of Formula 1’s standout young talents. His determination at Silverstone to keep driving despite having a heavily compromised car, together with his humorous exchange at Goodwood, belonged to completely different situations, yet they highlighted the same mentality: whenever he has a steering wheel in his hands, he is unlikely to hold back, even when someone is telling him to slow down.
Nothing like driving the iconic Hillclimb 🔥
Kimi's loved his first run of Goodwood in the Mercedes-AMG PureSpeed! pic.twitter.com/xRISZ95kHz
— Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team (@MercedesAMGF1) July 9, 2026
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