Despite a rocket start to the 2025 season for Formula 1 rookie Kimi Antonelli, reality seems to have overtaken him as he is really struggling to keep a brave face. While George Russell is very confident in his car and scoring important points for the team, Antonelli can’t seem to join him on that level. Mercedes’s engineering director, Andrew Shovlin gives his take on why this is happening.
During the most recent race weekend at Spa-Francorchamps, Mercedes endured a difficult weekend as both drivers struggled to find pace early on. Antonelli spun in Sprint Qualifying and couldn’t recover any places. Russell didn’t do much better as he went out in the next round. However, following this difficult session, Russell found pace throughout the weekend while Antonelli was left disappointed and pointless.
The problem that is plaguing Mercedes in 2025
Mercedes are currently in third place in the constructor’s championship and are trailing Ferrari in P2 closely with just 28 points separating. Ferrari’s line up obviously is one of the most experienced on the current grid but Mercedes also can’t really complain in that aspect. The issue that both teams have at the moment is the car being difficult to drive.
With a difficult car comes a requirement to drive with confidence, knowing the limits and driving right on them. With Hamilton and Leclerc’s experience in F1, they seem to be able to find rather quickly these days. The Mercedes pairing on the other hand, is a different story. Andrew Shovlin has given his two cents on the matter in a recent interview:
“I think what you’ve seen in the recent qualifyings is that George is leaning on his many years of experience in an F1 car to try and make the most of a difficult car, Kimi hasn’t got that to drop back on, and that’s probably why you’ve seen a bit of a shift in his results recently. “
On top of this difference in experience, Shovlin indicated that after the technical directive changes from Spain, the team seems to struggle more to get up to speed with the rest of the grid. Despite this level of difficulty in the current car, Shovlin is adamant to deliver Mercedes a car that both drivers can excel in.
Kimi Antonelli will end 2025 on a high according to Shovlin
While Kimi Antonelli has really struggled to score points in the most recent rounds, Shovlin is confident that the Italian youngster will bounce back as F1 approaches the end of its 2025 season.
“Kimi’s on a steep learning curve and he’s going to be getting better as a driver, The fact that his early performances were better than they are now is almost certainly that the car’s not as competitive, and you can see that mirrored in George’s results.”
“We’ve seen it lots of times before as well. When a young driver comes in and they’re in a very good car, they can often really impress.”
Formula 1 is about to head to some of the more unforgiving tracks on its 2025 calendar. With Hungary’s nickname: ‘Monaco without walls’, The streets of Baku, the intense heat of Singapore and its final triple header to finish the season. Kimi Antonelli will have the perfect opportunity to shine under pressure if he gets to grips with the current package. If he does so, Mercedes will have to sign him for 2026 as the young rookie has become a fan favorite.
