Kimi Antonelli, the highly promising Italian rookie currently racing for the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team, is facing mounting pressure as his difficult stretch of results continues. Over the last six race weekends, Antonelli has failed to score points in five of them, with his sole highlight being a podium finish at the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal. What was meant to be the beginning of a breakthrough now stands isolated as his only major success in the past two months.
Antonelli’s misfortune after Miami
Ups and downs are expected in a debut season—especially for an 18-year-old driver making his way into the top tier of motorsport. Kimi Antonelli has just passed the halfway mark of his first Formula 1 season and currently sits seventh in the drivers’ standings. Throughout this campaign, the young driver from Bologna has encountered many of the classic challenges associated with F1 rookies: adapting to wet weather conditions, racing on unfamiliar circuits, and being paired with an established and competitive teammate like George Russell. Several of his scoreless weekends have been marked by misfortune rather than poor driving.
In Australia, Antonelli delivered an impressive performance in mixed weather conditions, finishing fourth and showcasing both composure and skill. His first major breakthrough came in Miami, where he secured pole position for the Sprint Race. Then, in Montreal, he achieved a historic result by finishing on the podium—becoming the first Italian driver to do so in a Formula 1 Grand Prix since 2008. That result was widely seen as a turning point, a launching pad for future success.
Instead, it has proven to be an isolated peak in a stretch of otherwise disappointing races. Since Montreal, five of the last six race weekends have ended with Antonelli scoring zero points, amplifying doubts and scrutiny from both media and fans.
Antonelli’s own words: a sense of frustration
Speaking at Silverstone, Kimi Antonelli did not hide his disappointment with his current form. “I don’t know what to say. It feels like everything is going wrong at the moment, and it’s hard to find anything positive,” admitted the young Mercedes driver. “To be honest, I’m not happy. There are too many zeroes. It feels like there’s nothing truly positive right now. I just need to focus, reset, and try to see the light at the end of the tunnel, because I’m clearly not going through a good phase.”
It’s important to acknowledge that not all of Antonelli’s recent setbacks have been his fault. In Imola and at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, mechanical issues with the car compromised his races. In Monaco, blame was shared—Antonelli crashed during qualifying, while the team made a poor strategic call on race day. Silverstone brought yet another disappointing weekend, featuring confusion on the Mercedes pit wall and a racing incident with Isack Hadjar that wasn’t Antonelli’s fault.
Only in Austria did Antonelli make a significant personal error. A misjudged braking move at Turn 3 led to an off-track moment and caused a collision that forced Max Verstappen to retire from the race—Antonelli’s first major mistake of the season.
The road ahead: results needed and pressure rising
What Antonelli needs now is renewed confidence from the Mercedes team and, more importantly, a return to consistent point-scoring form. This is all the more urgent given that Mercedes is rumored to be actively pursuing Max Verstappen for a future seat. If the reigning World Champion were to sign with the Brackley-based squad, Antonelli’s situation for 2026 could become highly complicated.
In that scenario, Mercedes may opt to “park” Antonelli in a customer or midfield team to make room for Verstappen, or he could remain at Mercedes as teammate to a four-time World Champion—one known for ruthlessly outperforming his teammates. Either outcome would make Antonelli’s future far more challenging than anticipated.
For now, the talented Italian must focus on delivering strong performances in the second half of the 2025 season. Only by scoring points and proving he can consistently compete at the highest level will he be able to silence the growing doubts and solidify his place in Formula 1’s future.
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