Kimi Antonelli pinpoints his ‘darkest moment’ against George Russell in rookie F1 season at Mercedes

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Kimi Antonelli has had a rollercoaster of a debut year in Formula 1, and has opened up about the ‘darkest moment’ of his rookie season up against George Russell at Mercedes.

The 19-year-old looks to have found his rhythm in the sport if recent results are anything to go by.

Antonelli’s Mercedes seat was in jeopardy following the conclusion of the European leg of the season.

However, two top-five finishes in Azerbaijan and Singapore, arguably two of the toughest circuits on the calendar, have seen his confidence reemerge as he seeks to round out the final quarter of his rookie F1 season on a high note.

As the leading debutant in the drivers’ standings, Antonelli has potentially had the hardest teammate match-up in comparison to the rest of the rookies on the grid.

Russell has proved his title-winning calibre with Mercedes this year.

He’s currently fourth in the standings, and the only driver other than the McLaren duo and Max Verstappen to have won a race in 2025.

Speaking to ESPN in the United States Grand Prix paddock, the Italian driver opened up about what he found to be his ‘darkest moment’ of his maiden season in the sport.

READ MORE: Toto Wolff explains why Kimi Antonelli has been under ‘enormous’ pressure in rookie F1 season with Mercedes

Kimi Antonelli pinpoints the Belgian Grand Prix as the ‘darkest moment’ of his rookie F1 season

After previously touching upon the difficulties during the current campaign, Antonelli was asked how he coped with some of the mishaps that occurred during the races in Europe, namely Belgium and Hungary.

The 19-year-old replied: “Yeah, for sure. It’s been difficult because in the European season, we got a few mechanical issues.

“But then I started to do some mistakes, and then it was kind of a snowball effect, also with the new rear suspension.

“I struggled a lot more than George. And I was just struggling to find my rhythm, to find confidence in the car.

“I think Belgium was my darkest moment, where I just had no confidence.

“I was super tense in the car, and I just wasn’t even enjoying it because I had so many doubts and thoughts in my head while driving that I wasn’t able to enjoy and to drive up to my potential.

“So it’s been difficult, but what I try to do is always keep believing and trying to find a way to get out of the difficult moments.

“Now we’re doing so, and I’m very happy.

“I really hope we can just keep improving from now until the end of the season.”

READ MORE: Damon Hill makes worrying ‘hype’ comment about Kimi Antonelli after Belgian Grand Prix nightmare

Kimi Antonelli was low on confidence during the midway point of his rookie F1 season with Mercedes

The disappointment on Antonelli’s face during the race weekend in Belgium was evident as he approached journalists in the media pen.

The Mercedes man had just qualified 18th for the Grand Prix, following a Sprint race where he finished in the same spot he claimed in the Sprint shootout the day before, 17th.

After being able to move up just two positions in Sunday’s race, Antonelli admitted that he was low on confidence, much to the disbelief of Sky Sports F1’s Naomi Schiff.

When looking back at his results heading into the race weekend at Spa-Francorchamps, it’s clear to see why he lacked a crucial component of being successful in F1.

After Antonelli claimed a maiden podium in Canada three races prior, he had failed to see the chequered flag in Austria and Great Britain, so the result in Belgium only compounded the woes he had faced since Montreal.

Mercedes chief James Vowles noted the change in approach that Mercedes had taken with the youngster after his return to the top five in Baku, which has clearly helped his processes on race weekends.

After finding his feet again, Antonelli can really thrive in the difficult environment that is Formula 1.