Kimi Antonelli posted the best qualifying result of his Formula 1 career so far at the Japanese Grand Prix on Saturday. The teenager bagged P6 on the grid, which will see him line up alongside teammate George Russell.
Antonelli, the third youngest driver in F1 history, is making clear progress from one weekend to the next. He was knocked out in Q1 on his debut in Australia but improved his single-lap showings to P7 and P8 on a Sprint weekend in China.
And at Suzuka, the new Mercedes signing managed to beat predecessor Lewis Hamilton, who struggled for Ferrari. Antonelli was just over two-tenths shy of Russell, who’s been one of the standout drivers of 2025.
At the start of the session, the outlook was very different for the Formula 2 graduate. Antonelli was in the bottom five following the first Q1 runs, but lifted himself out of trouble and peaked at just the right moment.
Valtteri Bottas told Kimi Antonelli how to improve tyre preparation at Japanese Grand Prix
Antonelli prefers a cautious approach to practice, and based on the massive crash for fellow rookie Jack Doohan on Friday, that was sensible. But he wasn’t putting enough energy into his tyres.
Fortunately, Mercedes reserve driver Valtteri Bottas proved his worth. Bottas, who’s started nearly 250 Grands Prix, rejoined the Brackley outfit in the winter after losing his Sauber seat.
And according to Auto Motor und Sport journalist Michael Schmidt, Bottas gave Antonelli some crucial tips on tyre preparation. That meant he had significantly more grip through the Esses at the start of the lap.
Antonelli was 13th in the final practice session, more than a second off the pace. It looks as if the guidance from his veteran colleague transformed his weekend.
“I can say a little bit about Antonelli,” Schmidt said. “He slowly worked towards it [in practice], which was right. We saw that huge crash from Jack Doohan yesterday.
“But he always had problems in sector one. Why? Because the tyre temperature wasn’t right at the start of the lap.
“Mercedes said Valtteri Bottas did really good coaching. He gave him a few tips on how to get the tyre temperature right so that the tyres already have grip in the first sector. It worked in the very last run.”
Why Jacques Villeneuve is worried about Kimi Antonelli at Mercedes
Before the Japanese Grand Prix weekend, Antonelli went karting with MotoGP legend Valentino Rossi. ‘The Doctor’ told him to ‘focus on himself without being distracted by others’.
The Italian has done well to dictate the narrative so far. Antonelli doesn’t think of himself as Hamilton’s replacement, simply as Mercedes’ newest driver.
Martin Brundle changed his mind on Antonelli after suggesting Mercedes would be a one-horse team. But his Sky Sports colleague Jacques Villeneuve remained skeptical.
Prior to qualifying, Villeneuve raised a ‘big’ concern about Antonelli and his contribution to car development. But he’s growing in stature all the time, and the presence of Bottas is clearly helping to offset his inexperience.
