Andrea Kimi Antonelli has wrapped up an exhilarating debut season with Mercedes. The rookie hit the podium three times in his first year in Formula 1 but faced a significant slump during the European races. According to Antonelli, his struggles stemmed from updates to the rear suspension of his W16: ‘I lost two or three months of progress because of it.’
Antonelli finished his first year with Mercedes in seventh place in the drivers’ championship, but it was a bumpy ride. The Italian rookie experienced a notable dip in form, highlighted by two retirements in Austria and Great Britain. Antonelli himself attributes this downturn to the rear suspension update on his W16.
“I think I lost two or three months of progress because of that,” Antonelli told multiple media outlets. “I clearly struggled more with the rear than George Russell (ed.). It was harder for me to adapt my driving style.”
The rookie faced a tough time. “I was losing my confidence, driving super tense, and really struggling to make progress. If I had adapted better or gone back to the old suspension earlier, things might have turned out differently, and I could have built momentum by the end or halfway through the European season,” he revealed.
Kudos for Antonelli: A Comeback Story
Mercedes decided to revert the changes to Antonelli’s rear suspension, and the driver clinched podium finishes in Brazil and Las Vegas! “He now understands much better how a race weekend unfolds,” says Andrew Shovlin, Mercedes’ technical director at the track. “He’s always been good at describing what the car is doing, and that’s one of the key things. The great thing about Kimi is that once he learns something, he remembers it. He doesn’t repeat the same mistakes. Overall, we’re on track with him.”
