13/06/2025 14:45
Kimi Antonelli has claimed F1 is a "water full of sharks" as he
opened up on the early struggles he has endured during his F1
career. The Mercedes rookie is enduring a period of difficulty
ahead of this weekend's Canadian Grand Prix following a disastrous
triple-header. After the highs of securing sprint pole in Miami,
the young Italian has battled through several lows in recent
weeks. Antonelli struggled for pace in Imola before suffering a
technical retirement, before he crashed in qualifying in Monaco.
This was compounded by a power unit failure in Barcelona. After a
strong start to his F1 career, it is his first experience of a
difficult period, which has seen him look to his loved ones for
support. "My dad is a great rock, he's a big rock for me,"
Antonelli told media including RacingNews365 . "He's been there,
he's been teaching me everything since I was very little, since
karting. "I feel it's very important to have someone like him at
the track, especially my first season in F1 because it's a
completely new world, super intense and difficult as well."
Antonelli admitted he has taken a mental knock following the
difficult triple-header but has been working closely with his
father to understand how to improve for the races ahead. "I faced
three really difficult weekends, and I have to be honest, on the
mental side, that's not been easy. "Because here it's like being in
a water full of sharks, and if you don't perform, you get eaten by
the sharks. So it's really important to be on top of it. And I
think having him helps to stay sharp, to stay focused. "We talk
about anything to be honest. We watch onboards together, and then
we re-watch replays from previous years. We try to analyse stuff in
order to have a better idea and try to improve for the next
session."
