Antonelli prepares for Monza
Next weekend Kimi Antonelli is preparing to face his third Monza GP as an F1 driver. Although the Bolognese made his World Championship debut only last year, the 2024 experience should be remembered: exactly two years ago, Antonelli ran the FP1 of the Italian GP as a Mercedes titular in pectore.
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It was not a happy session for the current World Championship leader. Eager to prove his talent, Antonelli immediately ran on soft tires to try for a time, but he made a mistake at Alboreto and ended up in the barrier after a few minutes. Toto Wolff immediately defended him, knowing that episode would provoke easy irony: his support was fundamental, because already at Monza Antonelli understood the kind of pressure an F1 driver must endure and the importance of the team in the toughest moments.
Antonelli’s words
In 2025 Antonelli experienced other difficult periods. Periods that brought him tears (like at Spa) and frustrations, but they were a very important training ground: “Experience plays a fundamental role. I still have a lot to do, but despite all the negative moments I think the difficulties of 2025 were exactly what I needed. They helped me grow even more than I expected. They made me stronger emotionally and mentally“.
“The work is not finished yet“, he added about the 2026 World Championship. “We are only halfway, there is still much to do and much to achieve“.
To complete it, Antonelli must avoid the mistake of overdoing it. The Mercedes driver will “just have to” be consistent from now until the end of the championship, having a 59-point lead over the duo composed of Lewis Hamilton and George Russell. But, above all, 83 points gap on Lando Norris, the potentially most dangerous thorn in the side in light of the Hungarian and Dutch GPs.
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