Mercedes acknowledges the challenges Andrea Kimi Antonelli has faced in his rookie Formula 1 season, but insists the young driver still has ‘more to find’ as he continues to develop.
The Italian rookie wrapped up a turbulent European triple-header with another retirement in Spain, compounding the frustration of a DNF at his home Grand Prix at Imola.
Running strongly in seventh place in Barcelona, a power unit issue brought his W16 to a halt – just two races after an ERS failure dashed his hopes in front of an adoring home crowd.
Monaco was no better for Antonelli, stuck behind the Williams traffic jam for most of the Grand Prix before ultimately finishing dead last.
The 18-year-old remains seventh in the Drivers’ Championship, though he now trails his more experienced Mercedes team-mate George Russell by a sizeable 63 points.
Despite the setbacks, Mercedes Team Principal Toto Wolff remains publicly supportive of the Silver Arrows superstar’s development.
“Yeah, I like the development trajectory,” Wolff told media including Motorsport Week.
“Our expectations, he’s exactly doing what we expect from him, and that’s good. We just need to give him time.”
In Mercedes’ post-race debrief following the race in Barcelona, Technical Director James Allison also weighed in, offering a candid assessment of Antonelli’s difficult run.
“Well, Kimi’s young and full of all the optimism of youth,” he said.
“But I absolutely know that our failures in this period have taken a few chunks out of Kimi along the way.
“Two DNFs, one caused by a chassis problem, one caused by a PU problem, in just three races. That’s a pretty tough pill to swallow.”
Valuable lessons amid setbacks as Antonelli builds experience
Antonelli’s recent run of non-points finishes has dented Mercedes’ momentum in the Constructors’ Championship, allowing Ferrari to edge ahead into second by just six points.
Still, Allison was keen to emphasise the silver lining, underlining the crucial experience the rookie is gaining, particularly through challenging race scenarios like the high-temperature conditions in Spain.
“Leaving that aside and Kimi looking in it himself, he will know that he’s got more to find.
“But in amongst that, there’s been a lot of very positive work with him and brilliant experience for him running on a very dynamic track like it was in Barcelona with the track temperatures up, pushing up towards 50 degrees and managing soft tyres in those conditions.
“That is just putting experience into him at a very fast rate and he was handling it pretty well.”
Next up on the F1 calendar is the Canadian Grand Prix, offering a short break from the European circuits, a potential relief to Antonelli considering his recent luck on the continent.
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