Antonelli Identifies Key Difference with Russell as He Evaluates His… Read More
Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli has highlighted confidence in the car as the main difference between himself and teammate George Russell. As he continues his debut Formula 1 season, the young Italian says he’s steadily improving and learning from his more experienced teammate.
Reflecting on his performance during Thursday’s media day ahead of the Bahrain Grand Prix, the 18-year-old expressed satisfaction with his progress over the first three rounds of the 2025 season. Antonelli has scored points in every race so far, including a solid showing in the season’s first Sprint event in China.
“So far I think things went pretty well,” Antonelli said. “What I’m happiest about is my consistency over the three races. I’m just trying to improve weekend by weekend.”
He emphasized that each race weekend has been a major learning opportunity, particularly in understanding tyre behaviour. With the Bahrain race using the same compound as Suzuka, Antonelli feels increasingly confident in how to manage tyres across a weekend.
“In the first couple of races, I struggled with tyre warm-up in Qualifying,” he admitted. “Suzuka was a big step forward on that front. There’s still a lot to learn, but I’m happy with how things are progressing.”
Russell has had a strong start to 2025, with podium finishes in Australia and China and a top-five result in Japan. Antonelli acknowledged Russell’s role in pushing him to raise his level and praised the support he’s received.
“George is driving really well and helping me a lot to develop and push myself,” he said. “But I’m happy because I feel like I’m slowly getting there.”
When asked about the main areas where he trails Russell, Antonelli pointed to Russell’s confidence in the car, something that comes with experience.
“You can see the confidence he has. He knows where the car is going to end up in the corner and how to place it perfectly,” Antonelli explained. “That kind of knowledge and instinct just comes from experience.”
Still, Antonelli feels Suzuka was a turning point, particularly in terms of car understanding and self-belief. Heading into Bahrain, a track he knows well, he’s optimistic despite the significantly hotter conditions compared to pre-season testing.
Looking ahead to the weekend, Antonelli outlined his main objective: maintaining his positive trajectory.
“My goal is to keep the trend going, keep improving in Qualifying,” he said. “The pace is there, it’s just about putting everything together—from the tyre warm-up to nailing the lap. I’ll keep working hard, and we’ll see where we end up on Sunday.”
