Andrea Kimi Antonelli has revealed how a brutally honest meeting with Mercedes after the 2025 Italian Grand Prix helped him overcome a difficult period in Formula 1 and change the mentality that had been holding him back. The newly crowned 2026 world champion admitted that the team gave him a much-needed “kick up the backside” at Monza, prompting a reset that proved crucial to his remarkable turnaround.
After struggling with self-doubt, fear of making mistakes and the pressure of replacing Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes, Andrea Kimi Antonelli transformed himself into a regular race winner. Nine victories later, the Italian secured the 2026 Formula 1 World Championship well before the end of the season, completing an extraordinary recovery from the difficulties he had experienced just a year earlier.
Kimi Antonelli recalls difficult 2025 F1 season after replacing Lewis Hamilton
Taking over Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes seat at just 18 years old would have represented an enormous challenge for any driver. For Andrea Kimi Antonelli, the responsibility of replacing a seven-time Formula 1 world champion was particularly demanding, even though his rookie campaign initially began with encouraging performances.
Following that promising start, however, the Italian endured a prolonged downturn between Imola and Zandvoort in 2025. Across seven Grands Prix, he managed just one points finish, struggling to reproduce the performances that had made him one of the most highly regarded young drivers in motorsport.
The lowest point arrived at the 2025 Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps, where Andrea Kimi Antonelli finished 17th in the Sprint and 16th in the main race. He subsequently appeared deeply affected during his interviews with journalists, having begun to question whether he was capable of competing at the level expected of a Mercedes Formula 1 driver.
Few drivers have experienced such a dramatic transformation in such a short period. Within a year, Andrea Kimi Antonelli went from struggling to score points to becoming a multiple Grand Prix winner, claiming nine victories on his way to the 2026 world championship.
Toto Wolff’s support helped Kimi Antonelli overcome his F1 struggles
Reflecting on his difficult rookie season after winning the world championship, Andrea Kimi Antonelli highlighted the crucial role Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff played in helping him regain his confidence.
“Toto always made it clear to me that he had never changed his mind throughout last year,” the Italian explained, emphasising that Mercedes’ faith in his abilities had remained unchanged despite the disappointing results.
Andrea Kimi Antonelli acknowledged just how important that support had been during the most challenging moments of his career.
“For me, it was very important. I only got through the difficult moments because I knew I had the team’s full support.”
That confidence reflected Toto Wolff’s long-standing belief in Andrea Kimi Antonelli, which the Mercedes team principal also discussed following the Italian’s championship triumph.
However, the backing he received from Mercedes did not prevent the young driver from questioning himself when his performances deteriorated. Looking back at the Belgian Grand Prix, Andrea Kimi Antonelli admitted that his struggles had become deeply personal.
“At Spa, I seriously started questioning myself. I wondered whether I was really good enough. It was very difficult.”
Kimi Antonelli admits fear of mistakes damaged his 2025 performances
Andrea Kimi Antonelli believes that one of the biggest obstacles during his rookie season was his own mentality. Rather than approaching each race with confidence and concentrating on the steps required to perform well, he became increasingly concerned about making mistakes and achieving the right result.
The Italian explained that his focus on the final outcome prevented him from enjoying driving and made it harder to perform naturally behind the wheel.
“Last year, one of the biggest problems was my mentality. I was too afraid of making mistakes, worried about my performances and too focused on the final result. I was missing the whole process of getting to those results.”
“That made me too tense in the car, and I wasn’t able to enjoy myself. In my head, I kept repeating: the final result, the final result is what matters. That’s why that difficult period lasted so long.”
His reflections reveal how the pressure of expectations affected his approach to racing. The young Mercedes driver had become so concerned with delivering results that he lost sight of the process needed to achieve them, allowing his difficulties to continue over several races.
Mercedes’ Monza meeting gave Kimi Antonelli the reset he needed
The turning point came after the 2025 Italian Grand Prix at Monza, when Andrea Kimi Antonelli attended a frank meeting with Mercedes. Rather than simply offering reassurance, the team confronted the situation directly and delivered the message he needed to hear.
According to the Italian, that conversation became an important moment in his development, encouraging him to reconsider his approach to racing and the pressure he was placing on himself.
“After Monza, we had a meeting with the team where they gave me a bit of a kick up the backside. I needed it. It was the reset I needed.”
As he approached the winter break, Andrea Kimi Antonelli recognised that improving his consistency would require more than simply trying to drive faster. He needed to focus on the tasks immediately in front of him, remain mentally present and rediscover the enjoyment that had been missing during his difficult rookie campaign.
“Then, heading into the winter break, I thought I needed to work on consistency, try to focus on what I had to do, try to be as present as possible and remember to enjoy myself, because ultimately I’m very lucky to be doing what I love as my job.”
That change in perspective became part of a remarkable turnaround. Having struggled with pressure and self-doubt during 2025, Andrea Kimi Antonelli went on to establish himself as a consistent winner before celebrating his maiden Formula 1 world championship in 2026.
For the Mercedes driver, the experience demonstrated the importance of both the team’s unwavering support and the honest feedback he received when things were going wrong. The meeting at Monza did not simply address a difficult sequence of results; it helped Andrea Kimi Antonelli rediscover the mentality and enjoyment that would accompany his rise to the Formula 1 world title.
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