Andrea Kimi Antonelli secured a season-best second position during the 2025 Formula 1 Brazilian Grand Prix; however, this achievement faced some distraction due to an incident with Oscar Piastri, where the Australian received a contested 10-second penalty.
While Antonelli’s limited experience became apparent at times during the year, his performance showcased spectacular skill and aggression. His full potential remained somewhat obscured by challenges with the car following Mercedes’ adoption of a rear-suspension configuration they later decided to abandon.
The level of respect Antonelli garnered from fellow competitors was evident when prominent figure and four-time world champion Max Verstappen explicitly congratulated him on the Interlagos podium. Subsequently, when asked for any advice for a driver in Antonelli’s situation, Verstappen offered a straightforward response.
“Continue to have faith in your capabilities,” he urged. “A rookie season often involves experiencing an emotional roller coaster. Performance fluctuates from one weekend to another. Sometimes, you anticipate significant results, yet things don’t unfold as expected.”
“You’ll commit errors. You will also have successful race weekends. Ultimately, all this contributes to the learning process. It’s imperative to make mistakes as part of becoming a more accomplished driver, even within the realm of Formula 1.”
Drama seemed to accompany Antonelli throughout the season, starting with the opening weekend where he faced elimination from Q1 in Australia but managed to finish fourth in challenging, changing conditions. He achieved his first pole position in Miami for the sprint race, but the middle part of the season presented difficulties with rear-end stability after Mercedes’ transition to the revised suspension geometry.
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing, Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes
Photo by: Sam Bagnall / Sutton Images via Getty Images
Canada, where his teammate George Russell achieved victory and Antonelli secured third position, stood out as an exception primarily due to the specific features of the circuit: the majority of braking occurred in a straight line, and the corners presented relatively slow speeds. However, this result delayed the team’s choice to revert to the previous rear suspension setup, which then led to Antonelli encountering his most challenging weekend during the year in Belgium.
There, he expressed considerable disappointment after failing to advance beyond the initial qualifying round for both the sprint and the main race. At Spa, Lewis Hamilton extended his support by offering encouragement to Antonelli.
Antonelli’s notable results displayed improvement post-Hungary; however, some believed he held partial responsibility for the incident at Turn 1 in Sao Paulo, resulting in Charles Leclerc’s elimination from the race. During the restart after an initial Safety Car deployment, Antonelli experienced a slow acceleration, needing to deal with Piastri attempting an overtake on the inside while Leclerc maintained the outer lane.
Numerous reports indicated Antonelli selected the “incorrect” gear for the restart—third gear as opposed to the second gear selected by Piastri and Leclerc—but the data suggests a more intricate scenario. All three drivers used overlapping brake and throttle inputs to maintain suitable tyre and brake temperatures, and Piastri managed to fully engage the throttle faster, while Antonelli had to modulate the throttle twice along the main straight to manage wheelspin.
The events leading up to Piastri locking his brakes and pushing Antonelli into Leclerc appear more subjective: the stewards placed the blame entirely on Piastri, issuing a penalty, while Leclerc astutely noted Antonelli turned into the corner as if the McLaren was not already present.
“Throughout this year, Kimi has been on a significant learning trajectory,” Verstappen commented. “Simultaneously, he’s proven himself incredibly quick. I’ve noted this in every racing category he’s entered. His performance this weekend—it was remarkably strong.”
“He undeniably deserved his spot on the podium today, which offers a considerable confidence boost. The team is also providing substantial assistance to enable him to fully tap into his potential. So, he finds himself in an advantageous situation.”
