Martin Brundle Warns Mercedes F1 of Kimi Antonelli 'Crisis'
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
Former Formula One driver and Sky Sports F1 reporter Martin Brundle has warned Mercedes of the difficult phase the team's rookie driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli seems to be in, given his recent setbacks. Brundle advised that the 18-year-old driver can turn the situation around with assistance from his team.
Kimi Antonelli scored points finishes in six of the 12 Grands Prix thus far, with his best finish being the Canadian Grand Prix, where he secured a spot on the podium by finishing third.
However, the following race in Austria saw him commit a rookie error, crashing into four-time world champion Max Verstappen on the opening lap. At Silverstone, the tricky conditions with near-zero visibility caused Isack Hadjar to crash into Kimi Antonelli, an incident that ensured he was out of the race.
As F1 returned to Spa-Francorchamps for the Belgian Grand Prix, Antonelli spun out at high speed during sprint race qualifying. It was likely a result of the Italian driver's aggressive throttle input, which caused him to go straight into the gravel. The incident ensured he started the sprint race from the last place on the grid.
Andrea Kimi Antonelli of Italy and Mercedes partakes in media obligations in the paddock during practice ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Belgium at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps on July 25, 2025 in Spa, Belgium.
Andrea Kimi Antonelli of Italy and Mercedes partakes in media obligations in the paddock during practice ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Belgium at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps on July 25, 2025 in Spa, Belgium.Brundle believes Kimi Antonelli needs assistance from his team to handle the pressure. Speaking during the sprint race at Spa, where the Mercedes driver secured P17, Brundle said:
"Antonelli is in a really difficult phase, and the team need to make sure that doesn't turn into a crisis for such a young man under so much pressure.
"Melbourne was an incredible performance for him in the most challenging conditions, then he got his podium in Canada.
"Somehow, the mistakes have crept in later than I thought they would. And then I think he's in a bit of a spiral situation at the moment. He can turn it around."
Speaking to the media about his spin during the Belgian GP sprint qualifying, Kimi Antonelli said:
"I don't know, it was actually a pretty decent lap. I was around P4, and yeah, it just was weird, because I lost it completely on exit."
He added:
"Just need to check, maybe a gust of wind. But it was quite weird the way I lost the car."
However, he was positive about the pace of his car for the sprint race. He said:
"The car felt good over the lap, so I'm definitely confident for tomorrow, and we'll just try to reset and look forward to tomorrow."
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