MIAMI, Florida — Each rookie driver in Method 1 has huge sneakers to fill, however some sneakers are larger than most.
Just like the sneakers of a seven-time Drivers’ Champion and one of many sport’s residing legends.
However that’s the state of affairs that younger Kimi Antonelli discovered himself in when Mercedes named him because the alternative for Lewis Hamilton, when one of many sport’s best drivers made the surprising transfer to Ferrari for the 2025 F1 season. Tasked with entering into these sneakers Antonelli has carried out admirably, scoring factors over 4 of the primary 5 race weekends of the 2025 marketing campaign. Because the grid arrives in Florida for the Miami Grand Prix, Antonelli sits sixth within the Drivers’ Standings, one spot forward of the driving force he changed.
The rookie driver credited his rising confidence as a motive for his sturdy begin Thursday in Miami.
“Nicely, positively it’s a brand new observe and appears fairly tough as nicely. It’s clearly the dash weekend, so only one observe after which straight into dash qualifying,” started Antonelli when assembly with the media, together with SB Nation, on Thursday.
“So clearly it’s a bit completely different to what I’ve been used to in Jeddah or Bahrain, however I believe due to the actual fact I’m getting extra confidence with the automobile weekend by weekend, I believe it’s gonna be a bit simpler to stand up to hurry, simply because I’ve extra confidence within the automobile and extra confidence in pushing it to the restrict.”
Antonelli conceded that he’s nonetheless seeking to strike the proper steadiness between getting his laps in and discovering absolutely the restrict of the W16 every race weekend.
“After all, I’m not nonetheless the place I need to be by way of driving and pushing to the restrict, however each weekend I really feel like I’m making a step ahead,” continued Antonelli. “Tomorrow the observe, it’s gonna even be fairly soiled, so it’s gonna be a fairly, I believe, distinctive session. But it surely’s gonna be actually essential to begin off with the proper rhythm and construct lap by lap, to be able to be as nice as doable for dash qualifying.
“After all, I believe it’s not gonna be straightforward, however I believe we will nonetheless ship a great consequence.”
Antonelli additionally talked about hanging the proper steadiness of aggression. Earlier within the day Oliver Bearman talked about how one of many troublesome issues he’s present in adjusting to life in F1 is discovering precisely the place the bounds are, and the way a lot he can push the automobile. Bearman talked about how his yr acquired off to a troublesome begin within the season-opening race in Australia, and the way he needed to “study the laborious manner” to strike that steadiness.
Antonelli outlined how he feels the identical manner.
“Nicely, I needed to study the laborious manner as nicely. “I believe what I’m speaking about,” mentioned the Mercedes rookie, in possible reference to his rookie observe session final yr at Monza the place he put George Russell’s W15 into the wall on simply his second push lap.
“I really feel like, , this method is sweet, however you actually have to be cautious with additionally your mindset as a result of in the event you inform your self, ‘I’m gonna begin straightforward, simply gonna slowly get into the rhythm,’ I believe it’s probably not the proper mindset.
“After all, you wanna construct up, however you wanna begin off already with a great stage of pushing as a result of in the event you begin too far off, then it’s actually laborious to catch up.
“So I believe it’s vital to have the proper method, however actually vital to have the proper mindset as nicely with the way you, you’re taking the session.”
Antonelli then mentioned the format of this weekend, which is the second F1 Dash race of the 2025 marketing campaign. He was requested which format he prefers — the usual race weekend with three observe periods or an F1 Dash race with a single observe session earlier than F1 Dash qualifying — and the Mercedes rookie joked that his reply would possibly depend upon the outcomes.
“If it goes unhealthy, I’d in all probability need the traditional weekend with all three observe periods,” started Antonelli with amusing.
Nonetheless, he did observe that driving in Method 2, the place there was a single observe session earlier than qualifying, has ready him nicely for F1 Dash weekends.
“As I mentioned, , final yr was all the time like this. One free observe after which straight into qualifying, and it was all the time actually powerful as a result of in F2 we’re going with the tougher compound after which in qualifying going with the delicate compound with out even attempting it in free observe. So I believe that basically helps as nicely for this dash weekends,” described Antonelli.
“After all, driving in F1 is lots completely different and it requires extra effort and it’s tougher on some sides, however I believe F2 prepares you nicely for this type of weekend,” continued the Mercedes rookie. “As a result of, particularly it prepares you to truly attempt to be on the restrict, from FP1, which, , I didn’t actually do it to this point this season. But it surely’s one thing that I actually need to do, from this race onwards, as a result of I believe it could possibly actually assist for, for the remainder of the weekend.”
Ultimately, nevertheless, all of it comes again to his confidence.
“Yeah, I imply, each weekend I’m extra assured within the automobile, extra conscious of what the automobile is able to, and extra conscious on setup adjustments as nicely,” added Antonelli.
Tomorrow will see the younger driver attempt to acquire much more confidence, within the one observe session forward of F1 Dash qualifying right here in Miami.
SB Nation will probably be on the bottom for all the Miami Grand Prix, so test our story stream all week lengthy for full protection!
