Kimi Antonelli Reveals How 2025 Pressure Nearly ‘Destroyed’ Him During Mercedes Rookie Season
By Alex christian | MBCF New_August 3, 2026
Kimi Antonelli has opened up about the pressure he experienced during his rookie Formula 1 season with Mercedes in 2025, admitting that the difficulties he faced at the time nearly overwhelmed him.
The Italian driver said he allowed the pressure to affect him during a difficult period of his debut campaign, particularly during the European races, when he felt he was failing the people who had backed his promotion to Mercedes.
“I let the pressure kind of destroy me as well during that period, because I felt like I was letting down so many people who had believed in me – especially Toto [Wolff], because he was the main one who took the decision,” Antonelli said during an appearance on SAP’s Significant Figures podcast.
Antonelli was promoted to Mercedes for the 2025 season after Lewis Hamilton’s move to Ferrari. The teenager had progressed rapidly through the junior categories, moving directly from karting into Formula 2 without competing in Formula 3.
His F1 debut came at the 2025 Australian Grand Prix, and he initially enjoyed a positive start. However, Antonelli struggled during part of the European stretch of the season and acknowledged that the experience affected him mentally.
“I didn’t feel good in that period – I wasn’t doing well,” he said.
Antonelli explained that a meeting with Mercedes after the European part of the season helped him regain his confidence and approach the remainder of the campaign differently.
“I had a big meeting with the team after the European season, and it kind of allowed me to reset and just start again,” he said.
“I slowly found my way back, and then I had a good second half of the season.”
The experience also gave Antonelli greater confidence heading into his second season. He said overcoming the difficult period taught him important lessons about himself, both as a racing driver and as a person.
“That gave me the confidence, being able to overcome those difficult moments, and gave me the confidence I have this year,” Antonelli said.
“It also made me learn a lot about myself, not only as a driver but as a person as well.”
Antonelli said one of the most important lessons was understanding how his body and mind react when he is under significant pressure.
“In that European season, most of the things I’ve done didn’t help me at all!” he said.
“But also I’ve learned about how my body responds to those moments, how my brain responds, what helps myself get back into the right focus, the right mindset.”
He added that learning how to manage his energy throughout a race weekend had also become important, given the demands of driving, media commitments and other events.
“So I learned a lot about myself, and how as well to respond to difficult moments,” Antonelli said.
The Mercedes driver also reflected on the demanding learning curve he experienced throughout his first season in Formula 1. According to Antonelli, the intensity of joining a leading team made the adjustment feel significantly greater than a normal rookie experience.
“I feel like obviously the team did an incredible job on trying to protect me, but the learning curve… I think I’ve learned much more than if I would have gone in a smaller team,” he said.
“I felt the learning curve was incredible – it felt like doing three years at once, and it was overwhelming, physically, mentally, because I’ve had so many new experiences as well.”
Antonelli has since made significant progress during his sophomore campaign in 2026. The Italian has established himself as one of the leading drivers on the grid and, according to Formula 1, had been at the top of the Drivers’ Championship standings since the third round of the season in Japan.
His reflections on 2025 underline how quickly the young driver had to adapt to the demands of Formula 1. Rather than allowing the difficult period to define his career, Antonelli believes the experience helped him develop a better understanding of how to deal with pressure and recover from setbacks.
The lessons from his rookie season have now become part of the foundation for his performances in 2026, as Antonelli continues his development at Mercedes.
Analysis
Kimi Antonelli’s comments offer an important look at the mental demands that come with entering Formula 1 at a young age, particularly when the driver joins a team with championship ambitions. His description of the pressure as something that could “destroy” him shows that his biggest challenge during parts of 2025 was not simply learning how to drive an F1 car, but learning how to handle the expectations surrounding him.
Antonelli arrived at Mercedes with considerable attention after the team chose him to replace Lewis Hamilton. That decision immediately placed the teenager in an unusually demanding environment. Instead of being given several seasons to develop away from the spotlight, he was promoted directly into one of Formula 1’s most prominent teams.
His difficult European stretch in 2025 appears to have been a major turning point. Antonelli admitted that he felt he was letting down people who had believed in him, specifically mentioning Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff. That feeling is significant because it demonstrates how external expectations can become internal pressure for a young driver.
The most encouraging part of Antonelli’s reflection, however, is that he does not view the difficult period purely as a failure. He believes the experience taught him how to understand his own physical and mental responses under pressure. That kind of self-awareness can be particularly valuable over a long F1 season, where drivers must repeatedly recover from poor qualifying sessions, crashes, mechanical problems and disappointing races.
Antonelli’s comments also highlight the importance of the relationship between a young driver and his team. He credited Mercedes with helping him through the difficult period and said a meeting with the team after the European season allowed him to “reset”. That suggests Mercedes’ approach was not simply to judge his results but to help him understand what was going wrong.
His description of the learning curve as feeling like “doing three years at once” also explains why his rookie season was so demanding. Formula 1 requires drivers to manage far more than the actual race. They must work with engineers, understand complex technical information, handle media commitments, manage fitness and travel, and maintain concentration throughout an intense race weekend.
The fact that Antonelli felt “drained” by the end of 2025 is therefore understandable. He was learning the sport while simultaneously dealing with the expectations attached to driving for Mercedes.
What makes his story particularly interesting is the contrast between his struggles in 2025 and his progress in 2026. Rather than allowing the difficult period to damage his confidence permanently, Antonelli appears to have used it as a learning experience.
His second season therefore represents more than simply an opportunity to improve his results. It is a test of whether the lessons he learned during his rookie campaign can help him become more consistent under pressure.
Antonelli’s comments also demonstrate why judging a young F1 driver solely by individual results can be misleading. A rookie can have difficult weekends while still making significant progress behind the scenes. Learning how to manage pressure, communicate with engineers and recover from mistakes can be just as important as finishing positions.
For Mercedes, Antonelli’s development is especially important because the team is investing in a driver who could potentially become one of its long-term leaders. His ability to openly discuss his mistakes and weaknesses could actually be a strength. Recognising what went wrong gives him a better opportunity to prevent the same problems from returning.
Ultimately, Antonelli’s account of 2025 is a story about adaptation. His rookie season exposed him to the enormous pressure of Formula 1, but it also forced him to understand himself more deeply. His ability to turn those experiences into confidence and improved performance could become one of the defining aspects of his career.
If his 2026 progress continues, the difficult moments of his rookie campaign may eventually be remembered not as the period that held him back, but as the experience that helped prepare him for the demands of becoming a leading Mercedes driver.
Source of news: [Formula 1 — “I let the pressure destroy me” – Antonelli opens up on 2025 struggles and how they made him stronger
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