Kimi Antonelli arrives at Silverstone with a calm and confident mindset. Fully aware that his future with Mercedes is already taking shape, the Italian insists he remains focused on proving he deserves the opportunity he has been given. After spending countless hours in the simulator preparing for the British Grand Prix, Antonelli says his priority is not simply beating George Russell, but delivering the best performance possible.
Kimi Antonelli entered the Silverstone paddock wearing Mercedes’ special blue team kit, introduced for the British Grand Prix weekend. Proudly holding a scale model of the legendary “Blue Wonder,” the unique Mercedes transporter built in the 1950s to carry the team’s racing cars, Antonelli helped showcase the German manufacturer’s retro merchandise collection inspired by the iconic Rennwagen Schnelltransporter.
Although Mercedes has already confirmed its driver line-up, Antonelli insists that the certainty surrounding his future will not change his attitude.
“The positive side of this situation is that you can focus entirely on driving, knowing there are no question marks hanging over your future. On the other hand, having certainty can also make you relax too much, and that’s a trap I don’t want to fall into. My approach remains the same: I go out on track every weekend to prove that I deserve the opportunity I’ve been given. Apart from that, I think I’ll enjoy a much more relaxed summer than I did twelve months ago.”
Following the Austrian Grand Prix, Mercedes defended the strategic decisions made at Spielberg. Listening to Antonelli, however, it becomes clear that he is not entirely convinced by the team’s explanation.
“I was told that the strategy chosen for me was the fastest one,” he explained. “They wanted to give me an opportunity at the end of the race by having a fresher set of tyres available. Of course, I shared my opinion, and I still believe we missed the chance to undercut Max Verstappen both at the end of the first stint and again at the end of the second stint. Considering the pace I had, especially on the hard tyres, I don’t think stopping a few laps earlier would have caused any degradation issues. In the final stint I set my fastest lap with just two laps remaining, after the tyres had already completed around twenty laps.”
Antonelli is also still waiting for a definitive explanation regarding the brake issues that affected his race in Austria.
“I experienced some problems throughout the whole weekend, not just during the race. In the opening laps, when I was following Charles Leclerc, there was a temperature difference between the right and left sides of the braking system. One side was running hotter than the other, making the car slightly unstable under braking. The brake pedal also felt longer than usual. The team is investigating the cause, and I expect to know more today.”
Finishing third in Austria inevitably left Antonelli with mixed emotions.
“My expression on the podium? Obviously I wasn’t happy. It was frustrating to finish so close to the top two knowing that another couple of laps might have given me a chance to fight them. It would have been nice to have that opportunity. But the race is 71 laps long, so there’s not much point dwelling on it. Let’s just say I was a little disappointed. I also think the opening laps decided the race. If I hadn’t lost the position to Max, it could have been a very different Grand Prix.”
Now Antonelli is looking for redemption at Silverstone, a circuit that, at least on paper, appears perfectly suited to the driving style of his teammate George Russell. More than the advantage of racing at home, Russell’s effectiveness through Silverstone’s long, high-speed corners is considered one of his biggest strengths.
Antonelli, however, is refusing to approach the weekend as a direct battle with his teammate.
“I definitely don’t want to go into the weekend thinking that I absolutely have to beat George,” he concluded, “because if I do that, I’ll end up focusing only on that objective and lose sight of the bigger picture. Of course, finishing ahead of him at his home race would send a strong message, but it’s not simply about nationality. On paper, this circuit should suit his driving style very well, although people said exactly the same thing about Barcelona. I’ve spent a lot of time in the simulator trying to find the most natural approach possible for Silverstone’s long, high-speed corners. You need to be a little gentler with the steering, and that’s the aspect I’ve worked on the most.”
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