MIAMI, Florida — Each rookie driver in System 1 has massive 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 scenario 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 getting 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, undoubtedly it’s a brand new observe and appears fairly difficult as effectively. It’s clearly the dash weekend, so only one apply 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 totally different to what I’ve been used to in Jeddah or Bahrain, however I feel due to the very fact I’m getting extra confidence with the automotive weekend by weekend, I feel it’s gonna be a bit simpler to stand up to hurry, simply because I’ve extra confidence within the automotive and extra confidence in pushing it to the restrict.”
Antonelli conceded that he’s nonetheless trying to strike the proper steadiness between getting his laps in and discovering absolutely the restrict of the W16 every race weekend.
“In fact, I’m not nonetheless the place I need to be when it comes to 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 feel, 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.
“In fact, I feel it’s not gonna be simple, however I feel we are able to nonetheless ship a superb end result.”
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 automotive. Bearman talked about how his 12 months bought off to a troublesome begin within the season-opening race in Australia, and the way he needed to “study the onerous manner” to strike that steadiness.
Antonelli outlined how he feels the identical manner.
“Nicely, I needed to study the onerous manner as effectively. “I feel you recognize what I’m speaking about,” stated the Mercedes rookie, in probably reference to his rookie apply session final 12 months at Monza the place he put George Russell’s W15 into the wall on simply his second push lap.
“I really feel like, you recognize, this method is sweet, however you actually must be cautious with additionally your mindset as a result of when you inform your self, ‘I’m gonna begin simple, simply gonna slowly get into the rhythm,’ I feel it’s not likely the proper mindset.
“In fact, you wanna construct up, however you wanna begin off already with a superb degree of pushing as a result of when you begin too far off, then it’s actually onerous to catch up.
“So I feel it’s necessary to have the proper method, however actually necessary to have the proper mindset as effectively 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 apply periods or an F1 Dash race with a single apply 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 might in all probability need the conventional weekend with all three apply periods,” started Antonelli with amusing.
Nevertheless, he did notice that driving in System 2, the place there was a single apply session earlier than qualifying, has ready him effectively for F1 Dash weekends.
“As I stated, you recognize, final 12 months was all the time like this. One free apply after which straight into qualifying, and it was all the time actually robust as a result of in F2 we’re going with the more durable compound after which in qualifying going with the smooth compound with out even making an attempt it in free apply. So I feel that basically helps as effectively for this dash weekends,” described Antonelli.
“In fact, driving in F1 is rather a lot totally different and it requires extra effort and it’s harder on some sides, however I feel F2 prepares you effectively for this sort 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, you recognize, I didn’t actually do it thus far this season. But it surely’s one thing that I actually need to do, from this race onwards, as a result of I feel it may well actually assist for, for the remainder of the weekend.”
In the long run, nevertheless, all of it comes again to his confidence.
“Yeah, I imply, each weekend I’m extra assured within the automotive, extra conscious of what the automotive is able to, and extra conscious on setup modifications as effectively,” added Antonelli.
Tomorrow will see the younger driver attempt to achieve much more confidence, within the one apply session forward of F1 Dash qualifying right here in Miami.
SB Nation shall be on the bottom for your complete Miami Grand Prix, so verify our story stream all week lengthy for full protection!