Peter Bonnington has clearly spotted Kimi Antonelli weakness that could cost him F1 title

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Peter Bonnington saw Kimi Antonelli making some big mistakes and managed to rein him in during the Monaco Grand Prix. But how long can he keep saving him?

Antonelli may have won the Monaco Grand Prix in dominant fashion, but there were moments in the race where his lack of championship experience showed.

Two moments in particular stood out. The first was after the Mercedes sensation set the fastest lap time late in the race, just as he was complaining about issues with his engine.

Peter Bonnington, Antonelli’s race engineer, reminded him not to get too ahead of himself, saying, “OK, Kimi, fastest laps — we don’t need them.”

The second moment was when Kimi Antonelli seemingly turned down the chance to come into the pit lane during the safety car. And it was these two moments that showed where his weaknesses are.

READ MORE: Lewis Hamilton admits Ferrari’s F1 car is ‘so basic’ compared to Kimi Antonelli’s Mercedes

Kimi Antonelli must use Peter Bonnington’s radio message during Monaco GP as a learning experience

Antonelli, full of youthful exuberance, wanted to see out the race in the most dominant fashion possible. This is why he kept pushing to set new fastest lap times with each run around Monte Carlo.

And when his engine began to cause him some concern due to him pushing, it was Bonnington who reminded Antonelli that he shouldn’t get carried away.

Even with Antonelli not entering the pits during the safety car, Bonnington urged him to do so in the following lap, in what could have been a race-saving move from the veteran race engineer.

For all the talent that Antonelli has as a driver, his lack of experience and eagerness to perform at the highest level can sometimes make him susceptible to silly mistakes.

This is why Bonnington is so crucial to Antonelli’s success, as he makes sure that the young Italian never falls victim to his own ambition.

There will undoubtedly be some conversations between Antonelli and the higher-ups at Mercedes about making sure that he doesn’t get too carried away, but these are situations the youngster must learn to control.

READ MORE: George Russell’s Mercedes contract may soon be ‘void’ thanks to performance clause

We saw some rookie mistakes up and down the field, but who was the most impressive driver of the Monaco Grand Prix?

Photo credit: Mercedes-Benz Group AG, Scuderia Ferrari HP Press Office, Oracle Red Bull Racing / Red Bull Content Pool, McLaren Racing

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Toto Wolff reveals he urged Peter Bonnington to tell Kimi Antonelli about restraint

While speaking to Motorsport Italia, Mercedes CEO Toto Wolff spoke about Antonelli pushing hard to set new lap times, and admitted that he, along with Bonnington, cautioned the young driver.

“Bono told him first, then I repeated it. I added to Bono: ‘You have to tell him he has a half-minute advantage.’ Peter repeated the message, but Kimi kept doing those times, and so we thought that maybe that was his pace.”

Many have suggested Antonelli’s attitude will come back to bite him at some point in the season. And while that hasn’t happened yet, that possibility cannot be ruled out.

And with Lewis Hamilton now gunning for Antonelli in the title race, the Mercedes driver has a bigger threat to his championship ambitions.

No longer is Antonelli trying to fend off George Russell, his teammate. Now he must battle against his Mercedes predecessor, and one of the greatest drivers of all time, who is hungry to reclaim his throne.

Is Antonelli up for the challenge? This season could cement him as the next legendary F1 driver. Or it could be the learning experience he needs to ascend to the top of the sport in the future.