Antonelli and the turning point at Mercedes: When everything changed
Andrea Kimi Antonelli has just completed his debut season in Formula 1 behind the wheel of a Mercedes, and the young Italian has shared a thoughtful assessment of his 2025 experience. In his rookie year, Kimi Antonelli delivered a rollercoaster performance marked by unforgettable highs – such as his first podium finish – and some tougher moments that tested his resilience, but ones he ultimately overcame.
A modern F1 season spans 24 races, and in an exclusive interview with Motorsport.com, the Mercedes driver divided his campaign into three distinct chapters.
The rookie season in F1
As Mercedes’ rookie, Andrea Kimi Antonelli faced immense challenges and intense pressure in his first year at the pinnacle of motorsport. According to the Italian driver, however, the most difficult stretch did not come at the very beginning but rather after the Canadian Grand Prix. Antonelli explained: “There was an initial phase, which I would call positive, starting in Melbourne and lasting until the Canadian Grand Prix. It was a period of huge learning – I had to get used to the Formula 1 world, experiencing a lot of new things, far more than I could have imagined before the season started”.
The second phase proved to be the toughest to navigate: “After Montreal, a difficult period began – a phase where I wasn’t seeing the progress I expected, and that affected my morale as well. It was mentally tough”.
Yet Antonelli appears to have left those struggles behind, particularly from the Baku race onward: “Now I can say that overcoming a difficult moment has given me an extra mental boost”.
The turning point moment
During the same interview with Motorsport.com’s Roberto Chinchero, Andrea Kimi Antonelli pinpointed the most crucial moment of his season – the one that helped him clear several hurdles: “Switching back to the old rear suspension, which happened as early as the Zandvoort weekend, helped me a lot, but the real turning point was above all a mental reset”.
Kimi Antonelli also emphasized how vital the support from the Mercedes team was, especially following the Italian Grand Prix at Monza: “After Monza there was a meeting between me, Toto, and Bono, and after that discussion I told myself I needed to hit reset and start from zero again. They told me straight to my face what they thought about my performances, especially at Monza. But it was constructive criticism that I took positively, and it helped me reset and find that essential edge to say: ‘OK, now things are going to change’. And they did change”.
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