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Andrea Kimi Antonelli produced a record-breaking rookie F1 season with Mercedes in 2025, but the Italian teenager also had some setbacks after replacing Lewis Hamilton.
Team principal Toto Wolff decided to turn to the Silver Arrows’ driver academy for their new racer after Hamilton announced that he was joining Ferrari from 2025. Antonelli stepped up to Formula 1 after only one year in F2, as well, yet he quickly set about proving his potential.
Antonelli, who became the third-youngest driver to start a Grand Prix, climbed from P16 on the grid to P4 in the season-opening Australian Grand Prix. Round three even saw Antonelli set F1 records in Japan, as the youngest driver to lead a Grand Prix and post the fastest lap.
Mercedes also saw Antonelli become the youngest-ever F1 polesitter for the Miami Sprint in round six. But the Silver Arrows’ rear suspension upgrade then derailed their season. While Antonelli took his first F1 Grand Prix podium in Canada, he lost all confidence with the W16.
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Andrea Kimi Antonelli learnt how to ‘trust my instincts’ as a rookie F1 driver
Antonelli eventually got his year back on track to finish strongly, with P2 finishes in the Brazil Sprint and Sao Paulo GP plus P3 in the Las Vegas GP. The 19-year-old rose from P17 to P3 in Sin City after making his sole pit stop on Lap 2 of 50, plus McLaren’s double disqualification.
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Mercedes removing their rear suspension update helped Antonelli to rebuild his confidence with their car. Antonelli also now admits that he initially struggled to trust his instincts as a rookie in F1, which saw the Bologna boy have the wrong mindset during some of the races.
“I didn’t know how to trust my instincts,” Antonelli told Gazzetta dello Sport. “I’ve learnt to listen to myself more, even in terms of leadership, and to stay focused without thinking only about the end result.
“Sometimes this year I found myself driven by frustration and I arrived at decisive moments with the wrong mentality, thinking more about defence than attack.”
The Sao Paulo Grand Prix was the making of Andrea Kimi Antonelli as an F1 driver
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Antonelli secured points in five of the first six Grands Prix to start the 2025 F1 season, with a P11 finish in the Bahrain GP marking the odd result through that stretch. But Mercedes’ rear suspension update and the start of the European races then put the Italian on the back foot.
Before Mercedes threw the update in the bin ahead of the Hungarian GP, the Brackley outfit saw Antonelli earn his only points in seven rounds with P3 in the Canadian GP. He only failed to finish in the points during three of the subsequent 11 Grands Prix to finish the 2025 term.
The Sao Paulo GP weekend was truly the making of Antonelli in F1, as he hounded eventual 2025 champion Lando Norris for the Brazil Sprint win and held off four-time champion Max Verstappen for P2 in the Grand Prix. Antonelli also qualified P2 for both events at Interlagos.
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