Kimi Antonelli can finally breathe a sigh of relief after the Hungarian Grand Prix, where he returned to the top ten following three challenging race weekends spent at the back of the field.
While it was not a standout weekend for the young Italian driver at the Hungaroring, the result marked a clear step forward. His Mercedes teammate was able to celebrate a podium finish, while Kimi Antonelli had to settle for tenth place in the Hungarian Grand Prix. Still, it was a solid and encouraging result following the disappointments of Saturday in Budapest and the previous rounds of the 2025 Formula 1 season.
The Italian racer managed to score points again in Budapest, something he had not achieved since the Canadian Grand Prix—where he claimed his first-ever podium in Formula 1. The qualifying session for round fourteen of the championship was once again difficult for Kimi Antonelli, who failed to reach Q3. At the end of Q2, he found himself eliminated in eleventh place, missing out by just six thousandths of a second. Upon returning to the pits, the situation worsened: his lap time was deleted for a track limits violation, which dropped him to fifteenth on the starting grid.
In the race itself, Antonelli struggled during the early laps and was unable to make significant progress through the field. However, after switching from medium to hard compound tyres—he was on a one-stop strategy—the young driver from Bologna was finally able to demonstrate a competitive pace. The surprise came once he found clean air during the second stint, as his speed significantly improved.
Mercedes’ technical director commented on Antonelli’s performance, noting that he was posting very quick lap times and, at certain points in the race, looked like one of the most competitive drivers on the grid. Furthermore, his tyre management was impressive, with the hard tyres maintaining performance over a longer period. These gains enabled Mercedes to finish the Hungarian Grand Prix with both cars scoring points.
Antonelli begins to bounce back
After a difficult stretch in recent weeks, the Hungarian Grand Prix could mark a turning point in Kimi Antonelli’s debut season. The young Italian appeared to regain his form and confidence behind the wheel. Mercedes trackside engineering director Andrew Shovlin praised Antonelli’s efforts, saying that he delivered a very strong race and seemed much happier with the car throughout the weekend.
Andrew Shovlin added that Antonelli’s confidence had visibly improved from Friday’s free practice sessions all the way through to Sunday’s race. Even though the qualifying session did not unfold as planned, there were early signs of progress—such as being able to get through Q1 on just a single flying lap on the soft tyres. That, according to Shovlin, was a very encouraging sign.
He admitted that the team had not managed to put everything together in Q2 but confirmed that they would work closely with Antonelli to continue refining that aspect. Ultimately, the most important development for the Italian rookie is that he now feels he has a car he can trust—one that allows him to keep learning and improving.
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