At Spa in 2025, Kimi Antonelli experienced the most difficult moment of his young career. Twelve months later, he returned to the same circuit as a winner, completing the technical and mental development that has transformed him into a contender for the Formula 1 world championship.
Spa, 2025. Kimi Antonelli is struggling to hold back the tears in front of the television cameras. The weight of the pressure is crushing him. The results are not coming and, as the championship reaches its halfway point, worrying rumours begin to circulate. Some claim Mercedes has taken too great a risk by placing an 18-year-old Formula 1 rookie in a race seat at one of the sport’s leading teams. In that climate, there is even speculation that he could be temporarily moved to Williams or Alpine for the following season.
Twelve months later, at the same circuit, Kimi Antonelli is smiling with the Belgian Grand Prix winner’s trophy in his hands. His sixth victory of the season has allowed him to extend his advantage in the drivers’ standings once again, moving 45 points clear of Lewis Hamilton and 50 ahead of George Russell. Between those two weekends lies the journey that has transformed a young driver full of doubts into someone now regarded throughout Formula 1 as one of the most exceptional talents of his generation.
There were still people who believed in him a year ago. Fortunately for Kimi Antonelli, Toto Wolff was among them. However, even his strongest supporters would have struggled to imagine such rapid progress. Today, Kimi Antonelli is shining in his own right, with almost the entire Formula 1 paddock recognising his extraordinary ability.
Motorsport, however, can be cruel. Two weeks earlier at Silverstone, Kimi Antonelli deserved to experience the same joy he enjoyed at Spa, but a technical problem denied him a victory that had appeared to be within reach.
Kimi Antonelli remains calm after the Virtual Safety Car setback
When race control neutralised the Belgian Grand Prix with a Virtual Safety Car on lap 20, allowing both Ferrari drivers to make their pit stops while gaining approximately eight seconds, Kimi Antonelli saw the threat of another unexpected setback reappear. Having led the race, he suddenly found himself behind Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen, with Ferrari proving particularly competitive.
“But why has the VSC come out?” he asked over the radio. There was no swearing and no sign of nervousness, however. Kimi Antonelli delivered his response on the track, reclaiming the lead only seven laps later.
“We are all surprised,” Toto Wolff explained. “His first season went exactly as we expected: there were great moments when his talent was clearly visible, alternating with other moments that were extremely difficult. There was that long period without results during the middle of the season, and that was something we could have anticipated.
“After the winter, we expected him to make a step forward. He already knew the environment, the pressure and the team’s technical and media demands, as well as the circuits where we would be racing.”
“What we did not expect was the composure and mental structure he has brought to the way he approaches his work,” Toto Wolff continued. “Whether a session has gone well or badly, during the debriefing you do not notice any emotional difference. Everything is extremely rational: what is the problem? How do we solve it? How do we move forward? That is the real change.
“It is also why, when he wins, you do not see the overwhelming excitement you would normally expect from a 19-year-old. In the same way, when things go badly — I am thinking about Barcelona or Silverstone — he returns to the garage and he is the one who tells the team: ‘This is a technical sport and these things can happen.’ He is 19 years old. It is truly impressive.”
Antonelli’s progress goes far beyond outright speed
It is no longer simply a question of speed. Kimi Antonelli had already demonstrated that quality long ago. What is now so impressive is the major step forward he has made in only a few months across every area required of a driver aiming to win the Formula 1 world championship.
There have still been obstacles this season. His starts, the management of overtaking situations and several incidents have all cost him valuable points. Every weakness, however, has been addressed and corrected with remarkable ease.
At Spa, Kimi Antonelli remained calm when the situation demanded it. He was also clear-minded enough to understand that he would not be able to build the necessary advantage over Charles Leclerc because of Ferrari’s superior performance in the second sector.
“We knew they would be competitive,” Kimi Antonelli explained. “Today, we received confirmation of that. They were very strong through Turns 12 and 13 because we had some difficulties with the rear of the car in that section. That is why it was not easy to make the difference in the second sector.”
From that moment, Kimi Antonelli changed his approach. He managed the power unit’s energy with the aim of crossing the start-finish line more than one second ahead of Charles Leclerc, preventing the Ferrari driver from using overtake mode. It was a composed decision based on a reading of the race that would not necessarily have come naturally to him only a few months earlier.
From his lowest point at Spa to Belgian Grand Prix victory
Kimi Antonelli is smiling, but he is not allowing himself to become carried away. His focus is now entirely directed towards his objective, even though the sense of redemption is impossible to ignore.
“Last year, I hit rock bottom here,” he admitted before running towards the Mercedes garage for the celebratory photograph. “I remember it being a very difficult weekend mentally. I would say things are definitely going much better now.
“Had you told me a year ago that, 12 months later, I would be in this position, I would have given you the only possible answer: no, impossible.”
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