Kimi Antonelli has shown early promise in his debut Formula 1 season with Mercedes, gradually stepping out from behind Lewis Hamilton’s shadow.
He had three more top-six finishes in the next four races but could not quite match Russell’s pace.
In what was probably his standout moment so far, Antonelli then surprised everyone by taking Sprint pole in Miami, becoming the youngest driver ever to do so. He backed that up with his first Grand Prix podium about six weeks later in Canada.
By then, though, a couple of mechanical failures had already put him behind the championship frontrunners. And soon after, mistakes of his own started to creep into his performances.
Lewis Hamilton and Kimi Antonelli both called the Mercedes ‘unpredictable’
Since standing on the podium in Montreal, Antonelli has found himself regularly starting near the back of the grid, with Spa being a particular low point as he lined up at the rear for both the Sprint and main race.
He went three races without scoring any points but managed to pick up a 10th-place finish in Hungary just before the summer break. Speaking to Auto Motor und Sport, Antonelli outlined what had changed.
| CATEGORY | ANT | HAM |
| Championship position | 7th | 6th |
| Points | 64 | 150 |
| Wins | 0 | 2 |
| Podiums | 1 | 4 |
| Q3 appearances | 9 | 12 |
The Italian said he lost his feel for the W16 and pointed to issues that have been familiar at Mercedes since 2022. Both Hamilton and Russell have spoken about how unpredictable their cars can be, with Hamilton describing it as a long-standing issue at the 2024 Miami Grand Prix (via RacingNews365).
“When turning on the brakes in fast corners, the rear end became unstable, and it was difficult to feel whether the grip was losing or not. My aggressive driving style had exacerbated this problem.
“The car became even more unpredictable. But I also have to take responsibility for this and should have adjusted my driving style better.”
Ralf Schumacher has weighed in on Kimi Antonelli’s first half-season in F1
Some have argued that Mercedes should have followed the same path they took with George Russell, by loaning Antonelli to Williams. The team’s engine agreement would have given them some influence there, though it is not clear if James Vowles would have been on board.
But that question only came up after the fact. Early in the season, Mercedes looked like they had made real progress, and few doubted whether Antonelli was up to the challenge.
Now, with old issues returning, it looks as if he’s lost his footing a bit. But last year showed that even the sport’s most decorated driver can go through similar struggles.
Ralf Schumacher has pointed out that Antonelli has not lived up to comparisons with Max Verstappen just yet. Still, Mercedes appear committed to giving him time, as shown by their reported plans for a contract extension.
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