Antonelli: “At the start of the year, I wouldn’t have managed a result like Las Vegas”

Kimi Antonelli arrives in Qatar on the back of his third podium of 2025, achieved in Las Vegas after an impressive comeback with just one pit stop. In the US race, he was able to put into practice everything he had learned throughout the season with a “rather bold” strategy that worked perfectly. At Lusail, he hopes to achieve the same result, if not better, on a circuit that favored Mercedes in 2024, though he remains grounded given the trends of this year, where “on the tracks where we expected to do well, we didn’t confirm it, and elsewhere we performed surprisingly well.” In the pre-track press conference, the Bolognese driver also reflected on his mid-season struggles and commented on McLaren’s double disqualification, which allowed him to step onto the podium in Las Vegas.

Antonelli: “Las Vegas was my best race. You can never know in Qatar”

Formula 1 heads to Qatar for the final triple-header of the season. The Las Vegas weekend reopened the Drivers’ Championship following McLaren’s double disqualification. The biggest beneficiary was Kimi Antonelli, who celebrated a podium after a lion-like comeback from 17th place with only a single stop. “I think Las Vegas was my best race of 2025 because we executed everything very well,” Kimi recalled in the Qatar press conference. “The strategy was rather bold, but we managed to make it work. The execution from the team was excellent, but for me, it was my best race as well, because in that 46-lap stint on the hard tires, I was able to manage the tires and put together everything I learned throughout the season.”

The Italian rookie already boasts three podiums in his first year in the top class, achieved at different times and carrying different meanings. The Las Vegas podium crowned his improvements after a mid-season period where rookie difficulties emerged, notably on circuits he had already tested. After the summer break, Kimi Antonelli regained confidence and form in the W16, aided by managing the pressure of driving for a top team. “What I achieved in Las Vegas, I wouldn’t have been able to sustain at the start of the season in terms of strategy and tires. Over the course of the season, you understand how things work and push at different levels to understand tire behavior. Vegas was probably the best test of this. I went all the way thanks also to the team’s great work on car balance.”

In Las Vegas, Kimi Antonelli and Mercedes’ strategy of a single early stop paid off. Kimi completed 46 laps on hard tires, moving from 17th to third, aided by the McLaren disqualifications. Strategy will be even more crucial in Qatar: Pirelli has set a 25-lap maximum stint limit with two mandatory stops for Sunday’s race. The Bolognese reflected on the single tire supplier: “I think the strategy will be much simpler for everyone with the 25-lap limit. Obviously, tire pressure is higher, which could affect balance and tire behavior. It will slightly change the race and possibly the tire allocation, but apart from that, I think strategy will be simpler. So, it will probably be a full-throttle race, which isn’t a bad thing.”

Kimi Antonelli arrives at Lusail hoping to close his rookie season strongly, which saw a performance surge after the summer break. There’s a precedent favoring Mercedes, but each race is unique, and Kimi remains cautious: “You can never know. Mercedes was very strong here in 2024, especially in qualifying, so hopefully we can be just as strong, or even better. This year has been strange because on tracks we expected to do well, we didn’t, and elsewhere we did better than expected. The important thing is to start well, with good pace, and then progress throughout the weekend. I’m looking forward to getting on track and finishing the year as best as possible.”

Antonelli: “We will contribute to next year’s guidelines. McLaren disqualification? Rules are rules”

In recent seasons, FIA decisions regarding driver penalties for infractions have often sparked debate. Drivers and team personnel have criticized the lack of consistency in stewarding decisions, often guided by unclear directives. “That’s why we are holding a meeting on driving guidelines, especially for next year. We will contribute based on our experience, helping the FIA establish new standards for driver guidelines to enable better racing. I think this year was too negative: you can use driver guidelines to your advantage, but I don’t think a major overhaul is necessary.”

Technical irregularities, such as McLaren’s double disqualification in Las Vegas, have also reignited debate on general rules: “This is a rule. With these cars, the lower you go, the more lap time you gain. So, you obviously need a limit, and if you exceed it, you gain an advantage, which is probably why you get penalized. I also remember Mercedes in 2023—they had the same floor issue and were disqualified. Sometimes there are external circumstances: McLaren may have had more porpoising than expected, which is unfortunate, but rules are rules. I think next year, with the new regulations, we won’t have such a big issue.”

Kimi Antonelli: “I doubted myself, but everything changed after Monza”

The Mercedes rookie wants to finish his first F1 season strongly, applying all he has learned since Australia and continuing the improvements seen in recent months, partly thanks to abandoning a suspension that didn’t suit his driving style: “More than once, I doubted myself, especially after we introduced the new suspension. I entered a negative spiral. When results don’t come, you start questioning yourself. It wasn’t easy, but after Monza, a team meeting allowed me to reset everything, and it became another major learning moment. Being immediately in a top team means you are much more in the spotlight, and every small action or mistake is scrutinized more,” he explained in the Qatar press conference. “It was difficult, but the team never stopped supporting me, and in the end, we overcame the difficult period and started building. Now, with the experience I’m gaining, I’m also communicating my car needs. They are helping me on that front as well. There’s already good synergy between George and me; we’ve worked very well together. That’s why I’m really looking forward to these next races and then the next season.” – the Italian driver concluded ahead of the Qatar Grand Prix weekend.