Kimi Antonelli makes Mercedes contract admission as Max Verstappen changes things
Kimi Antonelli insists he has "never" been worried about his Formula 1 future despite hitting a rough patch in his debut season. The teenager was fast-tracked into the sport by Mercedes and made a strong start, but has endured a nightmare European leg of the campaign up to now.
The 18-year-old has scored points in just one of the last seven races, and the only one of them which was not held in Europe. Even more curiously, that one outlier was his best result in F1 to date, his first podium secured by finishing third at the Canadian Grand Prix in June.
But a combination of mechanical unreliability and struggles to get the best out of a Mercedes car which has regressed with its updates has made life tough for Antonelli. And the young Italian has also admitted that he is suffering from a crisis of confidence as a result.
Antonelli, like team-mate George Russell, is out of contract at the end of this year as it stands. It has been understood for some time, though, that an extension is a mere formality as the Silver Arrows view their young racer as a superstar of the future.
And the young man himself gives the air of someone who, despite this rough period, has been completely reassured by team principal Toto Wolff about his place with the team and in the sport. "I've never been worried, to be honest. I know the situation, I know what the team wants, especially looking at the future," he said.
"So I think also Toto has been clear recently, so that's obviously good to see. But, I think the team is working well. The line-up is good. Me and George are working well together, and we are trying to work together also as a team to find performance.
"So, I think we're doing a pretty good job. And also there's a really good atmosphere in the team. It's always nice to go back to the factory and see how much the team is pushing, not only for this year, but also ahead of next year.
"So, this means above that there's a good dynamic in the team. And yeah, but I'm sure the team knows what's the best for us, especially next year."
Russell is also closing in on a new deal, after months of his future being in some doubt. The Brit has starred this year but was still the most likely Mercedes driver of the two to be shown the door if the Silver Arrows had managed to convince Max Verstappen to join them for 2026, which the Dutchman has now confirmed is not going to happen.
Not only is he set to secure his future, but Russell is also about to become one of the highest-paid drivers on the F1 grid. It has been reported that he is likely to earn £30million per year after penning fresh terms, far more than the £20m title contenders Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri each earn at McLaren, but still significantly less than the £50m and more each pulled in by Red Bull talisman Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton at Ferrari.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mirror
13 minutes ago
- Daily Mirror
People are only just realising why F1 points go 25, 18, 15 for top three drivers each race
Formula 1 scoring works slightly differently from other sports, with the first three drivers to cross the finish line at events receiving 25, 18, and 15 points respectively, something which may confuse new fans Formula 1's rules can be quite tricky for new fans to understand, especially if they're unfamiliar with motorsports in general. From memorising what each flag means to why drivers have to take two mandatory pit stops in most races, it can be an incredibly unfriendly sport for newbies to get to grips with. And then there's the incredibly unique scoring system, which has seen its fair share of changes over the years, as well as two separate standings in the Drivers' and Constructors' Championships. With the Hungarian Grand Prix fast approaching this Sunday, Mirror F1 breaks down how F1 scoring works in 2025... How does F1 Grand Prix scoring work? While each Grand Prix sees 20 drivers from 10 teams take to the grid, only the top 10 who cross the line first see points on the board for their efforts. The outright winner of the race is awarded 25 points, second place gets 18 points and third takes 15, with the rest of the top 10 receiving fewer points depending on their positioning. With regards to why the F1 settled on the 25, 18 and 15 system, it is reported that it was an intentional move to incentivise better performers among competitors. As a win is seven points more valuable than finishing second, the current set-up promotes aggressive racing and overtaking as opposed to simply settling and holding position. It also makes the sport more exciting from a fan perspective, as a win one week and a third-place finish at the next event could make or break a driver's positioning in the seasonal standings and their race for the Drivers' Championship. Here's a breakdown of how drivers are awarded points for each Grand Prix: 1st place - 25 points 2nd place - 18 points 3rd place - 15 points 4th place - 12 points 5th place - 10 points 6th place - 8 points 7th place - 6 points 8th place - 4 points 9th place - 2 points 10th place - 1 point An extra point was previously awarded to the driver and team who managed the fastest lap, so long as they managed a top 10 finish, but this was ultimately removed for the 2025 season. An amended system for incomplete races The regular race system is used for all races deemed to be 75 per cent or more complete. The same applies to races resumed after a red flag stoppage and ending under green flag conditions for at least two racing laps. However, there's a reduced scoring system for races that finish prematurely. The points that drivers receive in this scenario depend on how long the race was active. For example, the winner of a race that lasted between two laps (25 per cent complete) receives just six points. Drivers get 13 points for races between 25 per cent and 50 per cent complete, and 19 points for races that are called off between 50 per cent and 75 per cent complete. How does F1 Sprint scoring work? In addition to the Grand Prix, there are also a number of Sprint events across the F1 season, but these are scored differently from the regular track-based events. For context, only the top eight drivers are rewarded for their placements in Sprint events, and the amount of points that they are awarded for their placement is considerably lower, for the most part, compared to Grand Prix. Here's a breakdown of how drivers are awarded points for each Sprint: 1st place - 8 points 2nd place - 7 points 3rd place - 6 points 4th place - 5 points 5th place - 4 points 6th place - 3 points 7th place - 2 points 8th place - 1 point Separate tables for drivers and constructors At the end of each season, the driver who has racked up the most points takes home the Drivers' Championship, while the team (made up of two drivers) with the most points overall wins the Constructors' Championship. It gives an extra edge to the sport, given that the driver of one team can win the individual title, but a completely different team can win the Constructors' trophy due to it being an aggregation of points. For example, Max Verstappen of Red Bull won last year's Drivers' Championship with 437 points from nine wins and 14 podiums, but it wasn't enough to prevent the Constructors' Championship going to McLaren. That's because Verstappen's Red Bull partner, Sergio Perez, finished the season with 152 points, putting Red Bull at a lowly third in the team standings with a total of 589 points. Meanwhile, McLaren's Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, who finished second and fourth in the individual standings respectively, accumulated a combined total of 666 points. Ferrari, meanwhile, took the second place spot in the team standings thanks to Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz racking up 652 points.
BBC News
14 minutes ago
- BBC News
How Hungarian Grand Prix practice unfolded
Update: Date: 17:17 BST 1 August Title: Norris tops Hungarian GP practice as Verstappen investigated Content: Andrew BensonBBC F1 correspondent at the Hungaroring Lando Norris headed team-mate Oscar Piastri to a McLaren one-two in Friday practice at the Hungarian Grand Prix. Norris was 0.291 seconds quicker than the Australian, who leads the Briton by 16 points in the world championship heading into the last race before Formula 1's summer break. But neither driver had an ideal run in the second session - Norris had to abort his first flying lap after a mistake at Turn Two, while Piastri had heavy traffic on his fastest. Norris went again and beat the benchmark time set by Piastri, but his tyres would have not been in optimum condition. Red Bull's Max Verstappen was in 14th, and said over the radio: "I don't know what's going on. It's undrivable. I just can't get any balance." The four-time champion is also under investigation from race stewards after appearing to throw an item out of his cockpit whilst on track. Read the full report here Update: Date: 17:15 BST 1 August Title: FP3 build-up from 11:15 BST on Saturday Content: Friday in Budapest belongs to McLaren, and more specifically, Lando Norris, who has topped both session ahead of his team-mate Oscar Piastri. But the Australian has the upperhand in the drivers' championship, leading the Briton by 16 points, so Saturday's qualifying looks set to be a fascinating battle between the two drivers. Can anyone beat them? Charles Leclerc in the Ferrari has been the closest driver so far. We'll be back tomorrow from 11:15 BST to build up to third practice. And then it's full steam ahead for the fight for pole position, the final one before the summer break, which begins at 15:00. See you on Saturday! Update: Date: 17:13 BST 1 August Title: Andrew Benson Q&A: Send us your questions Content: What will be the main talking point after this weekend's race? Will it be something that can keep us satisfied throughout the summer break? Who knows. What I do know is Andrew Benson is ready to answer any of your questions, big or small, so send them through via the link here. Update: Date: 17:10 BST 1 August Title: And the rest Content: 11. Oliver Bearman (Haas) 12. Nico Hulkenberg (Sauber) 13. Esteban Ocon (Haas) 14. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) 15. Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls) 16. Carlos Sainz (Williams) 17. Gabriel Bortoleto (Sauber) 18. Alex Albon (Williams) 19. Pierre Gasly (Alpine) 20. Franco Colapinto (Alpine) Update: Date: 17:07 BST 1 August Title: Top 10 Content: 1, Lando Norris (McLaren) - 1:15.624 2. Oscar Piastri (McLaren) +0.291 3. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) +0.399 4. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) +0.495 5. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) +0.609 6. Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) +0.705 7. George Russell (Mercedes) +0.793 8. Isack Hadjar (Racing Bulls) +0.803 9. Yuki Tsunoda (Red Bull) +0.861 10. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) +0.896 Update: Date: 17:04 BST 1 August Title: Chequered flag Content: That towel Max Verstappen lashed out of the cockpit is still on the track, and the stewards are going to investigate the incident after the session. A bit of drama at the end of the session. Lando Norris comes out of the pits but he locks up as team-mate Oscar Piastri goes round the outside of him at Turn One. Repeat that move on Sunday, lads. It's another McLaren one-two, with Norris the quicker driver once again. His top time was a 1:15.624 on the softs, over two tenths better than Piastri. Update: Date: 17:00 BST 1 August Title: Long-run corner Content: Andrew BensonBBC F1 correspondent at the Hungaroring Slightly compromised race data because of traffic. Hard to compare, but Ferrari look about half a second slower than McLaren. Aston Martin look pretty descent. I can't see many cars getting to that lap time apart from the McLarens. So maybe it'll be a good weekend for the Aston Martin. Update: Date: 16:59 BST 1 August Title: Post Content: Isack Hadjar is completing his long run preparation but a fiesty radio message comes in to Racing Bulls. "Is this guy doing this on purpose?!" he asks, as the Mercedes of George Russell is just ahead ploughing on with his own programme, slowly, in the eyes of Hadjar. Update: Date: 16:59 BST 1 August Title: Vasseur 'has an incredible vision' - Leclerc Content: When asked about Fred Vasseur's multi-year deal in the driver's news conference yesterday, Charles Leclerc said he was "really happy" the news was out in the open, especially as recent whispers had suggested the Frenchman's position as boss could be in doubt. "Fred has an incredible vision," said Leclerc "and I think what is difficult within Ferrari is, the emotion is very much part of the daily job because Italian people are extremenly passionate about Ferrari. "But Fred really knows how to leave his emotions aside and have a clear vivsion of where we are at, no matter how much noise there is around the team." Update: Date: 16:56 BST 1 August Title: Team principal Vasseur signs new Ferrari deal Content: Andrew BensonBBC F1 correspondent at the Hungaroring Frederic Vasseur has signed a new contract to continue as Ferrari team principal beyond the end of this year. The 57-year-old Frenchman's deal was due to run out at the end of 2025, but he has agreed what the team have called a "multi-year contract for the coming Formula 1 seasons". Vasseur joined the team at the start of 2023 on what was then a three-year deal. "I'm grateful for the trust Ferrari continues to place in me. This renewal is not just a confirmation - it's a challenge to keep progressing, to stay focused, and to deliver," he said. "Over the past 30 months we've laid strong foundations, and now we must build on them with consistency and determination." Update: Date: 16:53 BST 1 August Title: Post Content: What is going on at Red Bull? Even Max Verstappen is clueless as to why the car is, in his words, "undriveable" today. Balance has been mentioned again, so note that down for the Friday debrief. Update: Date: 16:52 BST 1 August Title: Post Content: Telemetry is back at Williams! The message to Carlos Sainz was quite frantic: "Box, box... no, stay out, it's back!" cried his engineer. Liam Lawson wasn't too happy with the Spaniard's positioning on track, but he was quickly informed Sainz was dealing with an issue, so no need for any complaints. Update: Date: 16:49 BST 1 August Title: Post Content: The medium tyres are on for Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri - the top two so far in second practice - but Carlos Sainz and Williams are in a spot of bother. The team are trying to tell the Spaniard they've lost telemetry, but can he actually receive their messages? He's still out on track, so maybe not. Update: Date: 16:44 BST 1 August Title: Alonso moves to P5 Content: Fernando Alonso's sore back isn't hindering the 44-year-old in this session. He pops up with a 1:16.233 on the softs to go fifth behind team-mate Lance Stroll. Amazingly, Aston Martin were the only team not to score any points during last weekend's Belgian Grand Prix, which was also a sprint event. Even bottom side Alpine picked up one point. Update: Date: 16:42 BST 1 August Title: Leclerc goes P3 Content: Charles Leclerc, on a track he says is his worst of the lot, finds some extra pace on the soft tyre to go back to third spot on the timesheets. The Ferrari man is 0.399 seconds away from the McLaren of Lando Norris. Speaking of Norris, George Russell had the best view of the Briton running wide on to the grass after dipping a wheel at the final corner. Russell is on the radio to his Mercedes pit wall to express his surprise. Update: Date: 16:39 BST 1 August Title: Post Content: Max Verstappen throws a rogue item out of his cockpit. It doesn't look like a visor tear-off, maybe it's a towel? Whatever it is, it shouldn't really be in there. And where did it land? Who knows. The Dutchman is down in 13th place, in a Red Bull that has already been flagged with balance issues this session. Update: Date: 16:36 BST 1 August Title: Stroll improves Content: These are encouraging push laps by Lance Stroll. Charles Leclerc briefly went P3 ahead of the Canadian but Stroll improves on his next soft run to return to the top three. The Aston martin has pulled out a 1:16.119, which is now 0.495 seconds away from Lando Norris best time. Update: Date: 16:34 BST 1 August Title: Norris beats Piastri's time Content: That's a rapid time by Lando Norris. The Briton places his McLaren above team-mate Oscar Piastri by 0.291 seconds. The papaya cars are way ahead of the field; Lance Stroll's marker in third, which is a great effort, is still nearly six tenths off the pace of Norris. Update: Date: 16:32 BST 1 August Title: Post Content: Andrew BensonBBC F1 correspondent at the Hungaroring We expect Aston Martin to have a better weekend. Expect Alonso to qualify closer to the top 10. Update: Date: 16:31 BST 1 August Title: Piastri quickest Content: The track is packed with red tyres. Kimi Antonelli slips into third place with a 1:16.520 in the Mercedes but that McLaren rocket ship is on thte prowl, lifting Oscar Piastri to the top of the leaderboard with a 1:15.915, which is three tenths faster than Lance Stroll's time in the Aston Martin.
Scotsman
42 minutes ago
- Scotsman
Inside Hibs' devastated dressingroom as squad plots way to make sure pain doesn't linger
O'Hora admits Midtjylland goal was punch in guts - but there is no chance of letting heads hang Sign up to our Football newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... No time for feeling sorry for yourself. That was the message coming out of the Hibs camp less than an hour after a painful European defeat by Midtjylland. As well as Hibs did in competing with an accomplished and seasoned European opponent before succumbing to a Junior Brumado bicycle kick in the last minute of extra time in their Europa League qualifier, it is back to the bread and butter for David Gray's men. The domestic season kicks off on Sunday for the Hibees with a trip to Dens Park to face Dundee. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Hibs finished third in the Premiership last season, which permitted them to enjoy a night like Thursday against Midtjylland. While Hibs were defeated 3-2 on aggregate by the Danes, they remain in Europe and have a Conference League third qualifying round match against Partizan Belgrade to navigate next week. The matches come thick and fast. Hibs' Warren O'Hora looks on after the defeat by Midtjylland. | SNS Group For Hibs' Irish defender Warren O'Hora, the past two weeks have been a huge learning curve. The 25-year-old is experiencing European football for the first time in his career and wants more. Performing well in the league opens the door to that once more. 'Devastated is probably the word for it,' O'Hora said to sum up the feeling in the Hibs dressing-room after Thursday night. 'We gave it our all over two legs. The goals that they scored over two legs are of very, very high quality. A free-kick, a 20-yard strike and an overhead kick, which is very, very hard to take. 'Did they cut us open much? Did they have chances? Not as much. It didn't really feel like it on the pitch. I felt like we had chances as well, but to lose a game with two goals like that tonight is a very hard one to take.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad From Dens Park to the Balkans Belgrade may be looming but O'Hora is looking closer to home first. 'That's next week,' he said. 'The league starts on Sunday, we regroup right now. We can come out of this game with two legs with our heads held high. We went toe-to-toe 200 odd minutes with a team at a very, very high level. I don't think we have anything to be ashamed of. 'We have a lot of positives to take into Sunday. It's definitely going to be a tough game. It's the first game of the season, we want to start well. We have no time to let our heads hang. We'll come in, we'll recover, and we'll go through everything. 'We'll definitely look at things we could have done better. I'm not saying we'll just go away from the game, but we'll definitely look at things where we can improve, because that's what we've been doing through the whole start. Midtjylland celebrate their winning goal at Easter Road. | SNS Group 'Since I've come to the club, that's the way it works. After every performance, we look at what we can do better, what we did well. But like I said, we can't let it linger. The changing room we have, us boys won't let anybody feel sorry for themselves or anything like that, because it's in the past now, we can't control it. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'We still have another opportunity next week [in Europe], but at the end of this season, you want to be able to do something here in Europe again. That is obviously a goal that we'll set, no doubt about it. But we need to start taking it game by game, and we'll start this Sunday.' Hibs started last season poorly, losing 3-0 to St Mirren. It set the tone for a miserable first three months of the league campaign in which they won just one match before turning things around spectacularly from December onwards and finishing third. There is no doubt the squad that Gray has assembled has character. Hibs did not feel overawed O'Hora listed the attributes that were on show against Midtjylland. 'Discipline, work-rate,' he said. 'I think we always knew that we'd probably have to give up some possession, that we'll get into areas. I think we worked our socks off. I thought we started at both legs really, really well. We got a disallowed goal today as well, and the first leg started really well. 'We can play against that level, we believed. We knew for ourselves, we believed that we can get something from this game, and we did, we brought a draw back to Easter Road, which is exactly what we needed. Obviously you want to win, but you want to bring something back, you don't want to lose the tie. I think today's performance showed that we can play against opposition at this level.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad There was a special moment against the Danes in extra time when Rocky Bushiri levelled. Easter Road celebrated wildly. It ultimately didn't give Hibs what they wanted - but it was a goal to relish. O'Hora wants more of that. Easter Road was left delighted by Rocky Bushiri's strike. | SNS Group 'That's why you play football, isn't it?' he added. 'It's for moments like that. It's so nice. Rocky scored so many important goals for us last year, and he's just scored another one for us this year. That's a credit to him. He's a real goal threat in the box. 'You can see the reaction from the fans, singing his name. You see everybody celebrating, the whole bench celebrates. There's boys that didn't play, didn't start, didn't come on, whatever. 'But it's all forgotten about, that's how together this group has been since we've first come in. And we showed that today, and we're going to need that tenfold for the whole season, which no doubt we will.'
