Andrea Kimi Antonelli says meeting in Monza helped regain confidence after feeling that he will never get back on track due to European slump.
It started decently for Mercedes’ Antonelli in his rookie season. He collected his first sprint pole in Miami, but the downward trend kicked-off from then on. He had a dramatic slump which co-incided with an update that the F1 team brought about. It made it difficult for both the drivers.
As a rookie, it affected the Italian a lot more than George Russell, especially on circuits that he knew well in Europe. From the eight European events, Antonelli scored in just two races. It broke his confidence despite a podium in Canada in between the European races.
It was such a bummer that Antonelli needed to sit down with Toto Wolff and Peter Bonnington in Monza to get out of the spiral. The talk and reversal of the update immediately brought results for the Italian and also Russell. It brought back the confidence the rookie needed.
The pressure kept mounting on the youngster with team boss Wolff also sharing strong comments on him. “Yeah, I mean, for sure, that was in Monza, but definitely during the European season, because I had a strong, very strong start up until Canada,” said Antonelli to media. “I had a really strong first part of the season. Obviously, expectations got higher and higher.
“And then the European season came and it felt like everything was just falling apart and just it felt everything was just not working. And of course on Mercedes also we were already fighting back then with the P2 and we were losing points. And obviously then also the team started to, kind of, like put a bit of pressure. But and of course it added up. But it’s normal. It’s how it is.
“And I think, what really made the difference was after Monza the meeting had with Bono, with Toto and it really helped me to make a reset and to really try to get back in the form of the first part of the season, because obviously I was also not happy with how things were going. And I was just getting more and more frustrated because I was thinking too much about the final result.
“And also, I was trying to fulfill the team’s expectation, but it just was snowball effect. And I felt like I wasn’t going anywhere. But after Monza then I was able to reset and now good momentum,” summed up Antonelli, who felt the slump only made him stronger not just for the rest of F1 2025, but also for his future to come, especially in 2026 where he will not have an excuse of being a rookie.
There were self-doubts in that period but Antonelli managed to convert it into confidence by the end of the year. He missed out on sixth in the drivers’ standings by six points, but he managed to score a good 150 points and also secure three podium finishes.
“For sure, this year has been massive,” continued Antonelli. “It’s been a massive learning curve for me, definitely going into Mercedes’ first year, I think was a massive opportunity. Obviously, I was more under spotlight more under pressure. But I think, that really helped me to grow even faster. And I think, this season I’ve had my ups and my downs. Obviously, I had a very long, difficult period.
“But being able to overcome it, made me stronger and was kind of a small victory for me. Because, obviously, during that period of time in Europe, I was, I even started to doubt myself. And I was also afraid that I wouldn’t have been able to get out of it. But then, obviously, since Baku, we’ve been in a good momentum. And it’s been good fun. So definitely, I’m happy.
“I’m quite happy with the season. But mostly, I’m happy with how much I grew and how much I matured as a person. And definitely next year, I’m going to be much more prepared and much more in control of the situation,” summed up Antonelli, as team boss Wolff had good words for the Italian, even though the Austrian had strong statements at one point to push the Italian.
Wolff was positive about the gamble they took to put Antonelli in the car in 2025 ahead of the big change in 2026, which helped him understanding the highs and lows already. “Before we started the season, we will see moments of brilliance that show his talent and moments where we’re going to tear our hair out and these days are going to be the ones that he learns the most and we had that.
“We had ups, we had downs, certainly lots of learning but you need to remind yourself on days like today or so that Kimi is 19-years-old. That’s been the first time that he was thrown among the Formula 1 cannibals and I think he stood his ground and certainly with high expectations for him in the future,” said Wolff.
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