In a stacked rookie class, new Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli has distinguished himself as a strong, capable competitor.

But when things aren’t easy — and they weren’t for him during practice for the Japanese Grand Prix — Antonelli also knows how to find his way back on the right track.

Kimi Antonelli’s “big lesson” in getting lost

Though Kimi Antonelli has unquestionably been the brightest star in the F1 rookie class thus far this year, the new Mercedes driver hasn’t exactly had it easy.

Take his performances in practice for the Japanese Grand Prix, for example. The Italian racer set times good enough for ninth in FP1, 16th in FP2, and 13th in FP3. That he ultimately ended up qualifying sixth is massively impressive — but it was also the result of a lot of hard work.

Speaking to media after qualifying, Antonelli said he was “happy with how the session went, but on the other side disappointed because I had to make such a step in driving from free practices.

“I was very lost in practice. I really had no confidence to push more and to progress, and I was like, kind of stuck from where I finished in FP1.

“So you know, I head into to qualifying with very little confidence and having to make a really big step in driving.

“So overall, I was getting there step by step. But yeah, definitely is a good lesson.”

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Further, Antonelli revealed that his ability to learn the track was also compromised by an illness; in 2024, he had a scheduled Super Formula test at Suzuka but ultimately returned home to manage his health.

“It was unfortunate because probably could have helped just to know the track a little bit more,” Antonelli admitted, “but as I said before, there’s still some disappointment with the performance but at the same time I cannot complain with how this went.”

Therefore, when it came to make his Formula 1 debut at Suzuka, he found things particularly challenging.

He explained, “The thing is, it’s definitely a really fast track. It’s not easy as well, first sector especially because it’s quite narrow, but you need to get the timing right with all the turning points.

“I think also with the set-up, we started quite safe, because I didn’t have confidence, so I needed to get confidence.

“But then as the track was improving and cooling down, I didn’t really have that courage as well to push the set-up even further. So also that is something I learned for next qualifying.

“Mentally was really tough because when you’re kind of stuck there and you really struggle to make steps, momentum is difficult.”

He acknowledged that he was likely “too safe” with the set-up but also took full ownership of the fact that he was calling those shots. As he picked up pace he “had decent confidence” and felt he “probably could have asked to push the set-up a bit more” but instead approached qualifying with caution.

As far as what proved to be so challenging, Antonelli said that “it was a mis of everything.

“What we like to do is re-watch my lap, because I can see where, you know, maybe I go off-line or what I could have done better. I was getting there, step by step.

“Also I think think, you know, using two sets in Q1 didn’t really help but that will be because I didn’t do a good enough lap at the start. I think with two sets in Q3 could have helped me as well.”

Nevertheless, the teenager was able to walk away from the session with a surprising amount of positivity.

“I think on the mental side, this was a good test as well because when you start, when you’re so far off in three practices — not one free practice; all of them — it’s really hard mentally, and especially as you go into qualifying and you’re like, uncertain of what you can achieve as a result,” he said.

“It was a really good test mentally, and I was happy with how I reacted.”

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