Andrea Kimi Antonelli was given high expectations upon his debut. As one of the youngest rookies in F1 history, he was labelled to be the next Max Verstappen. Within only a few races, he proved why he was put into a Mercedes as a rookie. He broke lap records, became the youngest polesitter of any format and took his first podium in Canada as only the third youngest ever.
Antonelli himself, however, looks back at the first twelve races of 2025 with plenty to improve. Despite the great start to his career, there have been some key moments that the Italian rookie reflects on with regret. A few big mistakes, bad results and unlucky moments have put a damper on Antonelli’s season so far.
Kimi Antonelli reflects on the first half of the 2025 season
During the Driver’s Press conference at Spa, Antonelli was asked about his season until now and what he expects for the second half. Kimi responded with a very detailed answer focused on improving and learning:
“It has been challenging, I have had some highs but quite a few lows. The European season hasn’t gone very well, I think it has gone pretty badly. A few mistakes from my side and we had a couple of issues as well. It is difficult to put all the information across a weekend together, so it has been challenging.”
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“Also on my side, qualifying has been weak but I need to put it all together. I’ve not been that good on doing the right step to get those last tenths. Now, the second half of the season, it is important to do the step and find some consistency.”
With the current form of the grid, a small mistake could very well be the difference between a podium finish and going home without points. Qualifying is crucial with the smallest of margins separating the field. On top of that, racing has become increasingly difficult as we’ve seen at several tracks this season.
Twelve races completed, twelve races to go
Despite Antonelli’s critical reflection on the first half of the 2025 season, there are still twelve races to be completed, and opportunities are aplenty for the young rookie. Mercedes is currently third in the constructors’ championship, and Antonelli is in 7th place in the drivers’ championship with 63 points. If Antonelli can consistently keep up with the top 6 for the rest of the season, he can be very proud of himself.
However, consistency is easier said than done. There are some really challenging tracks coming up in the next few months. For starters, Spa this weekend has a very wet forecast, and even the most experienced racers have difficulty in those conditions. Furthermore, there are tracks like Zandvoort and Monza where overtaking is next to impossible in the dry.
The Formula 1 2025 season is now at the HALFWAY POINT!!
Only twelve races remain and the gap between the McLaren drivers is only EIGHT points!!!
Verstappen v Russell continues, The Ferrari duo are secure in P5 and P6 and a new entry into the top 10… NICOOO HULLKENNBEEERGG!! pic.twitter.com/cgLV3iq0ou
— Fastest Pitstop (@FastestPitStop) July 7, 2025
There are a couple of street circuits remaining on the calendar as well. Baku and Singapore have proved to be a real challenge of endurance in the past. And we can’t forget Las Vegas, of course, where George Russell dominated the Grand Prix last year.
Plenty of action to look forward to as the 2025 season progresses. Can the Mercedes youngster improve in the standings in the coming races? Will he continue to show the flashes of raw pace and race craft? Only time will tell. Leave your predictions in the comments for the second half of the season.
