SILVERSTONE, England — Kimi Antonelli said securing his Formula 1 future with Mercedes has lifted a significant burden from his shoulders but insisted he has no intention of becoming complacent as he prepares for the British Grand Prix.
The Italian rookie arrived at Silverstone wearing Mercedes’ retro-themed blue team kit while carrying a scale model of the historic “Blue Wonder,” the Rennwagen Schnelltransporter that inspired the team’s latest merchandise collection celebrating its racing heritage.
For the first time since beginning his racing career, Antonelli heads into a season knowing exactly where he will compete the following year, a level of certainty he believes has helped him focus entirely on driving.
“The positive side of this situation is that you can solely focus on driving, knowing there are no lingering question marks,” Antonelli said. “On the other hand, there is also the danger that having certainties might lead you to relax, and that is a trap I don’t want to fall into.”
“My approach remains to go out on track to prove I deserve the opportunity I’ve been given. Beyond that, I think I will spend a much more peaceful summer compared to 12 months ago.”
Antonelli also reflected on last weekend’s Austrian Grand Prix, where Mercedes defended the strategic decisions made during his race despite the Italian believing alternative tactics could have produced a stronger result.
He said the team explained that extending his stints represented the quickest strategy overall, allowing him to benefit from fresher tires late in the race, but he remains unconvinced.
“I was told that the strategy chosen for me was the fastest one,” Antonelli said. “They wanted to give me a chance in the final stages by relying on a fresher set of tires.”
“Obviously, I voiced my opinion, and I remain of the view that we missed the chance to pull off an undercut on Max Verstappen at the end of both the first and second stints.”
Antonelli argued that his pace, particularly on the hard compound, suggested an earlier pit stop would not have compromised tire life.
“Considering also the pace I was able to maintain, especially on the hard compound, I believe that by stopping a few laps earlier we wouldn’t have had degradation issues,” he said. “In the final stint, I set my fastest lap two laps before the chequered flag, when the tires had already covered 20 laps.”
The 19-year-old also revealed Mercedes continues to investigate braking problems that affected his performance throughout the Austrian weekend.
“I had some problems throughout the weekend, not just in the race,” Antonelli said. “In the opening laps, when I found myself behind Charles, there was a temperature difference between the right and left sides of the braking system.”
“The pedal was also longer than usual. The team is investigating the causes, and I think I’ll know something more today.”
Although Antonelli celebrated another podium finish in Austria, he admitted finishing behind teammate George Russell and Verstappen left him frustrated.
“My face on the podium? Obviously, I wasn’t happy,” he said. “It annoyed me to have finished so close to the top two without having a couple more laps to play my cards.”
He believes the decisive moment came during the opening laps when he lost track position to Verstappen.
“I also believe the opening laps decided the race,” Antonelli said. “If I hadn’t lost the position to Max, it probably would have been a different race.”
Silverstone presents another opportunity for Antonelli to challenge at the front, although he acknowledged the circuit’s high-speed characteristics appear particularly well suited to Russell’s driving style.
Rather than viewing the weekend as a direct comparison with his teammate, however, Antonelli said his focus remains on continuing his own development while maximizing every opportunity behind the wheel of the Mercedes.
