Kimi Antonelli, the 19-year-old Mercedes driver, has encountered significant difficulties during his first season in Formula 1. Since being announced as part of Toto Wolff’s team at the 2024 Italian Grand Prix, Antonelli’s journey has been tough, including crashing George Russell’s W16 during his debut FP1 session at his home race. Despite an encouraging start, the young Italian’s repeated errors on track have raised concerns about his future performance and standing within Mercedes.
Over consecutive weekends at Zandvoort and Monza, Antonelli ended up in the gravel traps, hindering his progress and intensifying doubts surrounding his development. Although Wolff has expressed a desire to maintain his current driver lineup through 2026, neither Antonelli nor Russell has officially secured their new contracts yet, adding uncertainty to the situation.
Pressure Builds for Mercedes to Support Antonelli
Nico Rosberg, the 2016 Formula 1 World Champion, shed light on Antonelli’s psychological challenges during a discussion on the Sky Sports F1 podcast. Drawing from his own experiences at Mercedes, Rosberg described the young driver’s mindset as vulnerable and sensitive, traits seen in personalities like Lando Norris and himself. He emphasized how Antonelli tends to dwell on mistakes rather than focusing on successes.
Rosberg explained how Antonelli’s post-qualifying interview illustrated this mindset, despite a strong qualifying performance just fractions of a second behind teammate George Russell. Instead of celebrating his progress, Antonelli concentrated on a prior error in FP2 that continued to trouble him mentally.
“He is kind of a personality like Lando or like myself, if I may add myself to this. More vulnerable, more sensitive, more dwelling on the negativities, scared of not being good enough, scared of not doing well enough,”
said Rosberg.
“And that’s something where someone needs to tell him that as well because it’s something you can actually quite easily adapt. You just say, ‘Hey Kimi, something that could help you also just just focus on the good things from now on going forward. Don’t repeat or talk about anything that happened in the past that’s negative when talking to media because it has an impact and it’s a wave that you’re pushing on all the time. So, just go positive now.’”
Reflecting on potential support, Rosberg even considered reaching out directly to Antonelli, acknowledging that small advice like this could make a significant difference in his mindset and performance under pressure.
“You know what, I might actually write him. Why not? I don’t have his number but I’ll write him somehow because that’s an easy advice.”
Implications for Mercedes Amid Growing Concerns
The mounting challenges faced by Kimi Antonelli put Mercedes under increasing pressure to act decisively. The team must balance nurturing the promising talent of this young rookie while addressing the mental and performance struggles that risk undermining both Antonelli’s confidence and the team’s overall competitiveness.
With the 2026 contracts not yet finalized and Antonelli’s recent missteps highlighting his need for guidance, Mercedes’ next steps will be critical. How the team manages this turbulent phase could shape Antonelli’s trajectory in F1 and influence the Silver Arrows’ driver strategy moving forward.
