Kimi Antonelli has spoken openly about the pressure he felt during his first Formula 1 season. The Mercedes driver said a difficult European run affected both his confidence and his enjoyment.
Antonelli entered Formula 1 directly after one Formula 2 campaign. His early results created strong expectations, but the middle of 2025 brought mistakes and difficult weekends.
A fast start changed the level of attention
Antonelli arrived at Mercedes as one of the youngest drivers on the grid. He replaced Lewis Hamilton in a seat followed by millions of supporters. The opening races showed his speed and ability to learn. Those results quickly changed the public discussion around him. A promising rookie was suddenly expected to deliver at every circuit. Antonelli later admitted that he did not manage those expectations well. He focused too much on results and carried each mistake into the next session.
Formula 1 gives young drivers little time to recover. A poor qualifying lap can be followed by media duties, technical meetings and another race within days. The European part of the calendar added familiar tracks and larger home interest. That attention did not make his work easier. It increased the feeling that every result required an explanation. Antonelli said pressure began to control his thinking. He stopped approaching weekends with the freedom that had helped him earlier in the season.
Mercedes used a direct meeting to reset the approach
The turning point came through a detailed conversation with the team. Mercedes reviewed his preparation, his reactions and the way he handled difficult sessions. The discussion did not remove the normal demands of Formula 1. It helped Antonelli separate useful analysis from personal frustration. Engineers still needed honest feedback about the car. Antonelli also needed to accept that one mistake did not define the complete weekend. He began to simplify his targets. Instead of chasing a perfect result immediately, he focused on one session and one technical task at a time.
That method improved communication with his race engineers. It also reduced the amount of emotion carried from qualifying into the race. Mercedes continued to give him responsibility beside George Russell. The team did not change its long-term belief because of one difficult period. Antonelli responded with cleaner performances during the second half of 2025. The improvement came through steadier preparation rather than one dramatic technical change.
The experience changed his work away from the car
Antonelli now pays closer attention to recovery between races. Sleep, physical training and quiet time affect how clearly a driver processes information. He also limits the amount of outside discussion that reaches him. Social media can repeat the same mistake for days after the team has already understood it. The driver still studies data and video in detail. The difference is that he now uses that material for a specific purpose instead of searching for every possible weakness.
His physical programme supports the same approach. Formula 1 cars place heavy loads on the neck, shoulders and core. Fatigue can make mental pressure harder to manage. Antonelli said the difficult period made him more aware of those connections. He learned that confidence cannot depend only on the previous result. That lesson became useful when the 2026 season brought stronger performances and greater attention. Success created a different type of pressure, but the daily method remained familiar.
A stronger second season has not erased the lesson
Antonelli has entered the current summer break as a leading driver. His position is very different from the uncertain middle months of his rookie campaign. He does not describe the 2025 difficulties as wasted time. They showed him how quickly pressure can affect driving and communication. Mercedes also gained a clearer understanding of Antonelli’s working routine. Feedback remained direct, while the team kept its expectations consistent.
Antonelli now speaks about bad sessions without treating them as a crisis. He can identify the technical cause and then return attention to the next task. Difficult weekends remained part of Antonelli’s second season. His rookie experience gave him a calmer method for reviewing each result. The most important gain is not one position or one trophy. Antonelli has developed a repeatable routine for handling the demands around the cockpit.
The rookie season changed his preparation
Antonelli said pressure reduced his confidence during the middle of 2025. He also accepted that frustration followed him from one session to the next. A private meeting with Mercedes helped him separate normal rookie errors from wider problems. He then set smaller targets for qualifying and race preparation.
Antonelli also worked with a psychologist during the winter. He entered 2026 with clearer goals and a more stable routine between races. George Russell remains his direct reference inside Mercedes. Their data lets the team compare both drivers in the same car and conditions.
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