Younger drivers should benefit from F1 regulation change
Andrea Kimi Antonelli is confident that Formula 1’s more inexperienced drivers will benefit from the 2026 regulation overhaul due to the need to adapt. F1 promises to look totally different this year with changes to both the chassis, lighter by 32kg plus less downforce, and engine, more reliant on electric power, after four years of […]
Mercedes impresses with first race sim at F1’s Barcelona shakedown
Mercedes has delivered a strong start to the 2026 Formula 1 pre-season as Andrea Kimi Antonelli completed a full race simulation on day two. The Mercedes W17 ran reliably on both Monday and Wednesday, with George Russell having completed 92 laps by lunchtime yesterday before handing over the car to Antonelli. The youngster then reeled […]
Antonelli explains why Mercedes F1 suspension change cost him «two or three months»
Mercedes rookie Andrea Kimi Antonelli believes the team’s ill-fated suspension change cost him «two or three months» of development during his first Formula 1 season. Mercedes introduced a tweaked rear suspension geometry at Imola’s Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix, back in May, as it further tried to home in on its relative lack of low-speed performance and […]
Who was the best rookie of F1 2025? Our writers have their say
The 2025 Formula 1 season welcomed an unusually high number of rookies onto the grid which provided a focus point throughout the campaign. While some of the rookies starred, others floundered and some didn’t even make it to the end of the season. Here’s who our writers have picked as the standout rookie of the […]
Autosport Top 50 of 2025: #18 Andrea Kimi Antonelli
Rookie struggles were expected from the Italian teen, although his explosive start with fourth in Melbourne began an impressive series of early results – headlined by his Miami sprint pole. When Mercedes switched to a different rear suspension package, he struggled and his form across the European rounds began to wane, interrupted only by his […]
Antonelli may not reach his F1 peak until 2030 – Wolff
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff thinks Andrea Kimi Antonelli may need three to five years to reach his peak performance level in Formula 1. Antonelli made his F1 debut this season with very little experience, with the two-time Formula 4 and Formula Regional champion skipping F3 on his way to a sole F2 season. The Italian […]
Exclusive Antonelli Q&A after rollercoaster F1 rookie campaign
More than a question of points scored and position in the standings, the goal of Andrea Kimi Antonelli’s first season in Formula 1 was to convince Mercedes management that it had made the right choice by turning to the teenager as its long-term replacement for seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton. It was a bold choice […]
The post-Italian GP meeting that transformed Antonelli’s F1 rookie season
Mercedes rookie Andrea Kimi Antonelli has revealed that a tough post-race meeting after a poor Italian Grand Prix led to a mental reset for the rest of the 2025 Formula 1 season. Following a bright start, which included a sprint pole in Miami, Antonelli’s maiden campaign was derailed due to an ill-fated Mercedes suspension update […]
You have to remind yourself that he’s just 19
Mercedes Formula 1 team principal Toto Wolff couldn’t have coped with Andrea Kimi Antonelli’s pressure as a 19-year-old, explaining he was “a bit of an idiot” at that age. Antonelli became F1’s third-youngest driver in history this season at 18 years old thanks to his single-seater prowess – four titles in Formula 4 and Formula […]