Kimi Antonelli admits his fear of crashing ‘slowed him down’ during rookie F1 season at Mercedes

Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli revealed in an interview with BBC Sport that his fear of crashing negatively impacted his pace during his rookie Formula 1 campaign in 2025. The Italian racer explained that memories of his 2024 crash at Monza lingered throughout his debut season, creating anxiety about making costly mistakes during difficult stretches of the championship.

Antonelli finished his rookie year seventh in the driver standings with 150 points, trailing teammate George Russell by 169 points. However, after overcoming these psychological hurdles, Antonelli has scored 292 points through the first 14 races of 2026, holding an 81-point lead over Russell.