Mercedes F1 star claims team decision set him back 'months'

Mercedes

Mercedes F1 star claims team decision set him back 'months'

Antonelli reflected back on 2025

Sheona Mountford F1 Journalist

Motorsport journalist working in F1 since 2024.

Thursday 1 January 2026 11:53

Mercedes F1 star Kimi Antonelli has explained why he hit a poor patch of form in 2025, citing a technical change made in May.

The Italian youngster's performances dipped during the European leg of the season, earning three points in the grands prix from Austria until Monza.

Antonelli revealed that the May rear suspension upgrade introduced at Imola, instead ushered instability at the rear end and cost him progress during the middle portion of the 2025 season.

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"I think I've lost a good two or three months of progress," he said to Motorsport.com.

"Obviously, I struggled with the rear end more than George [Russell]. I struggled more to adapt, mainly to do my driving style."

Antonelli lost confidence

Antonelli's loss of confidence in the car was particularly evident at the Belgian Grand Prix, where he failed to advance beyond SQ1 and Q1, while team-mate George Russell started Sunday's race in the top 10.

"It was a difficult period because I just kept losing confidence, driving super tense and I just really struggled to make any progress," Antonelli continued.

"And obviously if I either was able to adapt better or if either I would have gone back earlier to the suspension, probably it would have been a bit different, and I would have been able to build momentum already at the end of the European season or halfway through it."

After Mercedes reverted back to their old suspension in Hungary, Antonelli recovered his performances from Baku onwards and picked up two more podiums finishes in his rookie season, standing on the podium a total of three occasions in 2025.

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F1 Mercedes Kimi Antonelli