Juan Pablo Montoya shares what he thinks Mercedes need to give Kimi Antonelli after error-ridden Italian Grand Prix

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Andrea Kimi Antonelli is enduring another error-ridden Grand Prix in what is becoming a difficult rookie Formula 1 season for the 19-year-old.

Expectations were high for Antonelli after he was announced as the replacement for Lewis Hamilton last season, and while he generated the necessary hype, it has been a season riddled with rookie errors.

While it’s unsurprising that Antonelli has yet to find his feet, Mercedes needs results in their Constructors’ Championship fight with Ferrari, and his recent form has concerned team principal Toto Wolff.

Antonelli did well to recover from spinning out of the second practice session on Friday at Monza to qualify alongside George Russell. But in the race, the Mercedes driver was handed a five-second time penalty for “erratic” driving when he forced Alex Albon off track defending his position at Curva Grande.

It is the second race in a row that Antonelli has been given a penalty for an incident on track, while he’s also struggled to score points. Former F1 driver Juan Pablo Montoya has explained what he thinks Mercedes needs to provide him with when speaking on the F1 TV post-race show.

Juan Pablo Montoya thinks Mercedes must give Kimi Antonelli more ‘guidance’

Montoya was thrust into the hot seat in 2001 when he joined Williams, off the back of his Indy 500 victory in 2000 as a rookie. While he wasn’t quite as young as Antonelli, there was pressure to perform because of his success in IndyCar.

He believes Antonelli needs a support network around him that can offer him guidance, otherwise he will continue to make the same mistakes.

“In qualifying, he was really good, but he needs somebody next to him controlling him a little bit. He needs a little guidance. He’s fast; he should have a really bright future in F1,” said Montoya.

“Toto and Mercedes really believe in him, but somebody needs to say ‘Just chill’ because every time you make a mistake, you go off, you have a bad start, you just do three steps back, two steps forward. It’s hard to change that rhythm.”

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Kimi Antonelli and Lewis Hamilton’s first F1 seasons compared

Some have drawn comparisons between Antonelli and Hamilton’s first years in F1, considering the amount of hype that was around the young Italian.

While Hamilton was 22 years old when he made his debut with McLaren, there were a number of differences that made his year more successful.

Comparing the Italian’s rookie year with Hamilton’s in 2007, the main difference is the car, as the seven-time world champion had one that was capable of winning races and challenging for the title.

Antonelli’s first F1 season has not been made easy by the fact that the Mercedes is a difficult car to drive, especially as their only race win this year has come in specific circumstances.