One year ago, Kimi Antonelli stepped off a British Airways flight from London to Milan, clutching the weight of a nation’s hopes on his young shoulders. At just 18, he was about to make his Formula One race weekend debut at Monza, sliding into Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes cockpit for opening practice. The Italian teenager, fast-tracked by Mercedes and hailed as their next megastar, was met by fans hungry for selfies and a glimpse of the future. But as the engines roared and the world watched, Antonelli’s first taste of Monza ended abruptly—he lost control at the daunting Parabolica corner, careening into the barriers. Miraculously, he emerged unscathed, but the incident was a jarring introduction to the highest level of motorsport.
Fast-forward to September 5, 2025, and Antonelli is back at Monza, 15 races into his rookie Formula One season. The pressure? If anything, it’s grown. He’s not just the first Italian to race at Monza in four years—he’s the face of Mercedes’ future, replacing the legendary Lewis Hamilton for the 2025 season. The expectations are sky-high, and the spotlight is relentless. As Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff put it, the pressure on Antonelli this year has been at its “maximum.”
"When we made it clear last year in Monza that we would give him the opportunity, we were also saying that we would give him a year of learning," Wolff told reporters at Zandvoort after the Dutch Grand Prix. "There would be moments where we’d tear our hair out, and there would be other moments of brilliance." And that’s exactly what Antonelli’s debut season has delivered—a rollercoaster of highs and lows, with moments of stunning talent interspersed with rookie mistakes.
There have been flashes of brilliance. In Miami, Antonelli stunned the paddock by grabbing pole position for the sprint race. Then came Canada, where he finished third behind teammate George Russell, making him the third-youngest podium finisher in Formula One history. These are the moments that hint at why Mercedes put their faith in him so early, hoping he could emulate the meteoric rise of Max Verstappen at Red Bull—a move Wolff famously missed out on years ago.
But for every highlight, there’s been a setback. Over the last nine Grand Prix weekends leading up to Monza, Antonelli managed just 16 points—15 of which came from that single podium in Canada. In stark contrast, Russell has racked up 91 points in the same period. The numbers paint a picture of a rookie wrestling with the demands of F1, battling not just the world’s best drivers but also his own inexperience and the intense scrutiny that comes with a Mercedes seat.
The Times recently reported on the “crushing psychological reality” of being a young driver in a top team, especially one with Mercedes’ pedigree. Antonelli has felt the strain acutely, making mistakes in practice for the second time in as many weeks leading up to the Italian Grand Prix. The psychological toll is real. As the teenager himself admitted before the Zandvoort crash with Charles Leclerc—a collision that ended the Ferrari driver’s race and earned Antonelli a penalty from the FIA—"I’ve had some rough times. But the team has always been very supportive. I’m aware I haven’t done the best of the jobs. But this year is mainly to learn. Of course, the goal is always to go on track and win. But, at the same time, it’s important to get ready for next year."
Antonelli’s journey hasn’t been made easier by technical changes. A shift in suspension layout earlier in the season left him struggling for confidence in the car, leading to a string of errors—including a crash on the opening lap in Austria that took out Verstappen and the aforementioned tangle with Leclerc at Zandvoort. Mercedes, recognizing their rookie’s discomfort, reverted to their previous rear suspension from the Hungarian Grand Prix onward. The result? A visible boost in Antonelli’s confidence and a step forward in performance—he was running seventh at Zandvoort before the collision, showing signs of the racecraft that won him titles in Formula Four and Formula Regional as a junior driver.
For Antonelli, Monza is more than just another race. It’s the stage where he first tasted the harsh realities of F1, but also where he’s enjoyed "amazing memories" from his junior days. "But also really bad ones," he reflected, alluding to last year’s practice crash. "It’s going to be important to have a clean weekend, clean sessions, and just put in the trash what happened (in 2024)." The lessons learned over the past year—about managing energy, handling pressure, and bouncing back from mistakes—are all being put to the test in front of a passionate home crowd.
Wolff, ever the pragmatist, remains steadfast in his support. "We want him to go for the moves," he said after Zandvoort. "So, ups and downs, that was absolutely expected from this season. Every one of those days is going to be a learning (experience) for next year. We’re not fighting for a constructors’ championship (in 2025). Of course, it’s P2 and P3 (in the current championship against Ferrari and Red Bull) that are at stake, but this has less relevance than next year when it’s important to score the points."
The long-term view is clear: 2025 is a year for Antonelli to make mistakes, learn, and grow. As F1 prepares for a major reset with new car regulations in 2026, Mercedes is focused on nurturing their young star so he’s ready to fight for wins and titles when it matters most. "It just needs to be unpeeled (like) an artichoke where at the end there is the gold," Wolff quipped. "Well, my analogies are not great, but you know what I mean! It’s there and we have no doubt. And in a way why we’re taking it with a certain ease is (because) we’re not fighting for a world championship (right now)."
Antonelli’s rookie campaign has been a masterclass in resilience under fire. The pressure of being compared to a seasoned teammate like Russell, the weight of national expectation as Italy’s homegrown hope, and the relentless glare of the F1 spotlight have tested him in ways no junior category ever could. Yet, through every setback, his core traits—character, raw speed, and competitive fire—remain undiminished. "He’s still the same and that’s the good, solid character trait that he has," Wolff said. "There’s lots of learning but he’s still a very young kid and I see the positive in that. We don’t want this to lose because in the racing car, he’s a fierce competitor. It’s been like that since karting. The visor goes down, you have a monster. That’s what you want."
As the Italian Grand Prix weekend unfolds, all eyes are on Antonelli—not for perfection, but for progress. The story of his rookie season is far from over, and with every lap at Monza, he’s writing a new chapter. Mercedes and their young star are playing the long game, betting that the lessons learned now will pay dividends when the stakes are highest. For Antonelli, the journey from economy class to the F1 elite is just beginning, and the world is watching, eager to see where his talent—and tenacity—can take him next.
