Antonelli reveals "he got a little kick in the butt, but it was what I needed"

Mercedes rookie driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli revealed that he "got a little kick in the butt" after his disappointing weekend at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza, but he admitted that "it was what I needed."

Ferrari endured a difficult weekend last time out at Singapore. The SF25 lacked speed in qualifying which saw Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc secure only the sixth and seventh spot on the grid.

The Monegasque got the better start on Sunday and found himself running fifth as he was able to overtake his team-mate and the Mercedes of Andrea Kimi Antonelli on the opening lap.

However, Leclerc encountered technical issues and had to look after his brakes from the early stages of the race. As a result of his difficulties, he lost out to the Italian as he was forced to lift and coast in the majority of the race.

Hamilton spent the majority of the Singapore Grand Prix in P7. As he had a free pit stop window, he pitted for a second time to take a fresh set of softs. The seven-time world champion was able to eat up the ground to the back of his team mate on fresh rubber.

The Briton was let through to chase down his Mercedes replacement which he did, only to lose his brakes late on. He allowed Leclerc back through and lost nearly 40 seconds to Alonso over the last couple of laps.

However, while he was eager to nurse his brake issues on the final laps, he exceeded the track limits on four occasions for which he received a five-second penalty. It meant the Leclerc finished sixth while Hamilton left the Marina Bay Circuit with an eighth-place finish.

Asked to sum up his performance across the European races of the season, Antonelli added: “Standing here now, if I had one message for the Kimi of May 2025 it would be: ‘Don’t mess up the European season!’

“It was a tough period. As a driver, frustration starts to get over you. The focus starts to go somewhere else. You don't focus as much on the process anymore. You just try to get the final result. I think that was my problem during the European season.”

Antonelli was forced to retire with a technical issue at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix. His second home race at Monza ended with another disappointment as he finished down in ninth place.

“After Monza, I did a big meeting with Bono and the engineers. I got a little kick in the butt, but it was what I needed, honestly. Now I'm back on the right track, with the right mindset, and focusing on the process, on the basics, trying to drive well, put things together, and then I know the result will come by itself.

“We had a couple of good weekends [in Singapore and Baku], which is important, bringing points for the team. “The car has been very, very strong, which is very promising.

"Now six races to go. We pull away from Ferrari and Red Bull as well. That's the most important. It's going to be important to keep bringing points, perform well. And to get the P2 in the Constructors’ Championship.”

Commenting on working together with Lewis Hamilton's former race engineer, Peter Bonnington, Antonelli added: “It's a massive privilege to be able to work with Bono. He has so much knowledge, and every time he brings such an important input on my job and my work.

“It's been crucial. Also, especially during the races, the way he speaks to me is very important. Most of the time, it makes a difference. It's been good so far.

"I've been having a lot of fun with him. I'm looking forward to getting some good results for the end of the season," the Italian concluded.