Wearing a white sweatshirt with the logo of his new clothing sponsor, Kimi Antonelli looks bulkier than ever. It didn’t take him long to send his first message to Formula 1, and the paddock got it loud and clear—he’s not just one of the many. In front of the Mercedes hospitality, a group of local girls is waiting, already holding photos of Kimi in action with his number 12 car and his official cap. Kimi Antonelli is relaxed and will likely enjoy this weekend more than he did in Melbourne, where satisfaction only came after the checkered flag. Here is his interview for Motorsport Italy:
How did you sleep on Sunday night?
“After the race, we went straight to the airport to fly to China, and once on the plane, I literally collapsed in my seat. When the adrenaline wore off, exhaustion hit, but obviously, I was very, very satisfied.”
Can we say that the result in Melbourne has definitively erased last year’s Monza mistake?
“Exactly. Now I can say I’ve erased Monza. It was an episode that marked me in some ways, but it also helped me learn. And since it’s all behind me now, I’ll keep the good part and erase the rest.”
What did Toto Wolff say after the race?
“He seemed very happy. In the evening, he sent me a nice message with a closing line in all caps: ‘In the future, stay away from white lines and grass.’ Obviously, he was referring to the mistake I made early in the race—I think he got a little scared… We’ve established that when Toto calls me Kimi, everything is fine. If he uses Andrea, then things start to get tricky. If he gets to Antonelli, well, that means things are really bad. The important thing is to always hear Kimi.”
Speaking of the spin, right after rejoining the track, you immediately set a sequence of very fast laps. Were you worried that the mistake might cause you to back off?
“Once I was back on track, I passed Nico Hülkenberg, and from that moment, I had good pace. The positive thing was being able to quickly regain a fast rhythm, forget the mistake, and refocus on my driving and what I needed to do.”
Your final overtake on Alex Albon was well received…
“I didn’t really plan it. The previous lap, I tried at Turn 9, but I wasn’t close enough to get alongside him. Then, on the penultimate lap, I saw that I was closer and said to myself: ‘I’ll go for a late-braking move and try to pass him.’ It worked out well.”
This weekend, you’ll face a track you’ve never raced on, with only one hour of practice before sprint qualifying.
“True, but last year in F2, we always had just one 45-minute free practice session before going straight into qualifying. Obviously, F1 is different, and I have to consider that most of my rivals have raced on this track multiple times. My approach will be to get close to the limit by the end of the session so that I don’t need to make an excessive step in terms of driving when qualifying starts.”
Are you starting to feel more comfortable with the car?
“In Melbourne, everything was new to me. I won’t deny that I was a bit tense, a bit stressed, mainly because I didn’t know what to expect. Now, even though only a few days have passed, I feel like I have more control over the situation in terms of expectations. I’m beginning to understand how a race weekend unfolds—although this will be my first with the sprint format. I also feel more at ease with the car, more connected to it, and more confident in pushing to the limit. But of course, there’s still a lot to learn.”
After getting out of the car in Melbourne, you stayed to watch George Russell’s podium ceremony.
“Yes, it was important to show the right respect to George—he had a great race and deserved the podium. Obviously, I would have liked to be up there too. I believed in it, especially during the last safety car when I saw that I was in the leading group.”
Ahead of your second Formula 1 Grand Prix, what are your expectations?
“I don’t want to set expectations too high—we have to be realistic. We saw a very strong McLaren, and we hope to be right behind them, but obviously, there are also Red Bull and Ferrari. We’re all very close, and it’s not easy to beat drivers like Max. What I’ve realized is that in F1, everyone is at an incredibly high level. That said, a podium would be fantastic. I hope it comes as soon as possible, but my main goal remains to improve and bring home the best possible result every weekend. As for the rest… we’ll see.”
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