Kimi Antonelli Expresses Relief as Difficult European F1 Season Ends

Kimi Antonelli has expressed significant relief as the challenging European leg of the Formula 1 season concludes, hoping to regain his earlier strong form in the upcoming flyaway races. His rookie season with Mercedes saw a stark contrast between an impressive start and a difficult European campaign.

Why it matters:

Antonelli's performance this year is under intense scrutiny, particularly as he's seen as a future prospect for Mercedes, potentially replacing Lewis Hamilton. His struggles in Europe, a familiar territory from his junior career, have been a concern.

The big picture:

After a promising start to his F1 rookie season, scoring points in five of the first six Grands Prix, Antonelli's fortunes drastically declined once the championship returned to Europe. Despite his extensive junior formula experience on these tracks, he managed a meager three points over nine races during this period.

The details:

• Antonelli's strong early-season form included consistent points finishes.
• The European stint proved to be a "nightmare," with his best result being ninth at the recent Italian Grand Prix in Monza.
• Interestingly, his only other notable performance during this challenging period was a third-place finish in Canada, a flyaway race.
• Antonelli openly stated his relief, telling RacingNews365, "I'm honestly really happy that this European season is finished. Hopefully, we can now have a good trend, like at the start of the season."
• Even at Monza, where he qualified seventh, a mistake off the line involving wheel spin saw him drop to 10th by the first chicane.
• He acknowledged the need to improve his race starts but expressed satisfaction with his qualifying pace, noting he was "much closer to George."

What's next:

With the European season behind him, Antonelli is looking to the upcoming flyaway races, beginning with the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, to find a consistent rhythm and score valuable points. He hopes to replicate the positive trend seen at the start of his debut season.