Ahead of the Saudi Arabian GP, Antonelli reflected on the first anniversary of his first F1 test and his performance at the Bahrain GP, where he finished P11. Despite an impressive qualifying performance that saw the Italian driver secure a spot second row of the grid, a frustrating Sunday brought plenty of lessons for the 18 year-old heading into Jeddah this weekend.
Last weekend marked the first weekend back at a familiar track for the 2025 rookies. It was a roller coaster of emotions for Antonelli as some great results came with disappointment throughout the weekend. Following a one-place grid drop for both Antonelli and his teammate George Russell after qualifying, the Italian struggled with tyre degradation on Sunday and quickly fell down the field.
Ahead of the final race of the triple-header, Antonelli spoke to the media ahead of the Saudi Arabian GP as he looked back on the one-year anniversary of an unforgettable moment in his life.
Celebrating the first anniversary of his F1 test
This weekend marks a year since the young Italian had his first taste of a F1 car. Antonelli was only 17 years-old at the time of his first test. Getting the privilege of hopping into the cockpit of 7-time World Champion Lewis Hamilton’s W12, Antonelli’s future in F1 was still uncertain.
When asked about how he has changed since then, the Italian driver reflected on how he has grown tremendously and reminisced on the day his life-long dream came true.
“Massively. I mean, it’s already a year. It feels like yesterday, honestly. In the snowing Red Bull Ring. Oh my God, I remember that day. I couldn’t believe when I woke up and I opened the curtains and it was literally snowing. I was like, this might not be the best condition to do my first ever formal work test. But yeah, I changed a lot.“
“Of course, I have a lot more experience and a lot more knowledge of how everything works. So definitely, it’s been a great journey so far since that first test. And hopefully it will be an even better one.”
Owning up to his costly mistakes in Bahrain
Four races in, the Italian driver’s performances has thoroughly impressed many working personnel in the paddock. Having finished just outside the top 10 in Bahrain, Antonelli acknowledged it was not his best weekend.
“Well, I think, you know, it’s really easy to say, to talk about the strategy after the race, of course. In the moment, obviously, it’s never easy. But I think, you know, on my side, I didn’t do the greatest of the job as well. First of all lap one, I made myself vulnerable to Gasly, of course. And then, obviously, I got forced off and I lost a couple of positions. And I had to find my way back.”
Opting for a shorter first stint, Mercedes’ decision to pit Antonelli early left him vulnerable to an undercut, which left him no option but to push hard to recover lost positions.
“And, of course, then, obviously, after the first pit stop, I got undercut. And in that moment, what I didn’t do well is, you know, trying to save the tyre as much as possible. Because instead, I just pushed and tried to regain the spaces, of course.”
Effect of tyre degradation on his strategy
Ultimately, the coarse nature of the Bahrain International Circuit did not help tyre degradation. During the race, Antonelli was the only driver, of those who finished, who stopped three times. After being forced to push his tyres early, Antonelli described his slide down the field as “a snowball effect”.
“And I fought hard with Max. Then I fought hard with… Also, I was pushing hard to re-catch him, you know, while cornering. And then it kind of was a snowball effect.”
“Because then I had a really big deg [degradation] as well on the medium. And then I had to pit as well because I was losing a lot of time.”
Antonelli couldn’t help but to feel regretful of a potential point-scoring race as he reflected on Max Verstappen’s P6 finish. With tyre wear eventually forcing him into an additional pitstop, the timing of the safety car did not work in his favour, and he had hoped for a better weekend overall.
“And, of course, the safety car came, which was, obviously, quite unlucky. Because I really felt that despite everything that was happening, still on top 6 was possible. Because, obviously, you look at Max and he still finished it up there. So, I believe, you know, that it was a mix of things that happened. But I think also on my side, I contributed a lot. Mostly negative.”
Situation in Bahrain has been reviewed. Now they move forward.
After the race, Antonelli explained that Mercedes and him have reviewed what happened in Bahrain. As the weekend in Jeddah kickstarts, Antonelli and Mercedes took accountability for the mistakes made in Bahrain. The Italian added it was a valuable opportunity to learn and avoid repeating the same mistakes moving forward.
“Yeah, definitely. We analysed and I think it was a mix. It was a bit from me and a bit from the team as well.”
“But of course we reviewed and also we talked about in case a similar situation happens, how to react in a better way. And we analysed everything as well today. We had a look again and we got a better understanding that in case this situation happens again, we know how to respond better.”
All parties acknowledged that shortening the first stint was a mistake. Antonelli stated that if next time a similar situation were to unfold, they would be ready. Reflecting that it was a lesson learnt for him, Antonelli ensured that he would be prepared next time.
“And one thing, in stint 1, what we understood is that it probably could have gone a bit longer in order to have a bigger tyre advantage compared to competitors. And in order to have a better pace advantage, in order to progress without pushing so much. But of course it’s things that we all learned.”
“As well on my side, it was a new thing to me and definitely next time I know how to react better.”
