Kimi Antonelli has revealed that maintaining his energy was a challenge during his debut Formula 1 campaign, citing a far busier schedule than his days in Formula 2.
The Italian registered three podiums during his rookie season, finishing seventh overall in the Drivers’ Championship.
But it certainly was a season of adjustment for the 19-year-old. Despite the bright start, he suffered torrid form in the European races.
With four retirements and just three points, Antonelli needed a strong end to his campaign to salvage a decent finish – and he delivered.
The Mercedes man scored his highest finish since June’s Canadian Grand Prix at Baku in September.
He later added to this with back-to-back podiums in Brazil and Las Vegas, before finishing with a 15th place in Abu Dhabi.
Reflecting on his up-and-down campaign, the rookie admitted that managing his energy came as a significant challenge.
“The biggest surprise, definitely the commitments that you have during weekends, but also outside race weekends,” he told media including Motorsport Week.
“I think this has been one of the biggest factors and one of the biggest learnings as well — trying to manage the energy the best way possible, trying to move things around just to your own benefit.
“I’m not going to lie. There were moments in the season where I felt pretty drained.
“Now obviously I know what to expect much better, and I think also next year is going to be a bit easier because going through this year and experiencing all this kind of stuff will help.”
Switching to the positives, Antonelli noted that the F1 cars are “amazing” to drive compared to their F2 counterparts.
“You get to drive these amazing cars. They’re extremely quick and it’s a lot of fun, especially in qualifying,” he explained.
“The limit is so high that it’s fun to go out there and try to discover how much you can push the car.
“Some tracks that were not so fun maybe in F2, with the F1 car were a lot more fun to drive.
“I think it’s been very special to have the opportunity to drive such a car. Obviously next year is going to be a big difference, but we still get to drive the fastest cars in the world.”
Bearman agrees with Antonelli on F1 obstacles
Prema teammates in 2024, both Oliver Bearman and Antonelli made the full-time leap into F1 in the recent campaign.
The Briton impressed in his stand-in performances in 2024, but also proved his pace throughout his opening season.
However, much like Antonelli, Bearman found the pace of F1’s scheduling to be his biggest challenge in 2025.
“Biggest surprise or biggest difference, I would say, is probably how busy you are compared to F2,” the Briton concurred.
“We do almost double the races in Formula 1, but also away from the track—a lot more activations with partners, a lot more media commitments.
“So, for example, next year we start already in week two or three, so there’s not really breaks like we had and were used to in F2.
“So, your energy level—it’s one thing driving the car, but the other thing is arriving at the track always 100% ready to go.”
READ MORE – How the 2025 rookies fared during their maiden F1 seasons
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