16/07/2025 20:00
Kimi Antonelli has acknowledged he has endured "too many"
zero-point races in the opening half of his rookie season. The
Italian joined Mercedes this year, entrusted with the high-pressure
responsibility of replacing seven-time F1 champion Lewis Hamilton.
The 18-year-old rookie enjoyed a consistent run of point-scoring
results in the opening six races; however, the last six grands prix
have resulted in five non-finishes due to mechanical woes and
in-race collisions. That torrid streak was punctuated by a maiden
podium in Canada, where Antonelli joined team-mate George Russell
in the top three following the Briton's victory. Aside from that
highlight, Antonelli has conceded it has been a challenging
campaign for him. "I'm not super happy, to be honest," Antonelli
told the media, including RacingNews365 . "Too many zeros scored.
"After Canada. I've been struggling to find some positives, to be
honest. It feels like nothing is really working our way." With F1
in a period of two weeks off heading into the Belgian Grand Prix,
Antonelli is using the break to readjust, with the hope of coming
back stronger in the second half. "I just need to focus, reset and
try to find the light at the end of the tunnel," he added. "Because
definitely, I'm not going through a nice moment. "I'll take some
days off just to reset, and then just try to come back fresh at
Spa. "It's going to be a sprint weekend, so it's going to be
important to be on it from FP1."
