Kimi Antonelli approaching F1 with "a degree of caution" after Monza crash, as per Mercedes insider

Mercedes insider James Allison has recently weighed in on the debut campaign of Kimi Antonelli so far. The British engineer detailed how the 18-year-old has largely approached race weekends with some degree of caution, particularly off the back of the crash he suffered during a practice session at Monza in 2024.

The young Italian driver who grew through the ranks of the Mercedes Driver Academy endured a horror showing in what was his debut session behind a Formula 1 car. The then Formula 2 driver took part in a Free Practice session at the Italian Grand Prix in Monza and found the barriers after a few laps.

The incident largely fuelled conversations about whether Kimi Antonelli had the quality to join the Mercedes team at that time. However, following the first 14 races of the 2025 season, Allison has now opened up on how that trip to the barriers has impacted the young driver.

“We talk about this a bit internally, and it may just be more gossip than reality, but the trip into the barrier at Monza, I think that may have just left him approaching the weekends with a degree of caution as a result,” the motorsports designer stated via Mercedes-AMG Passion Club on X.

“We've been encouraging him to sort of trust [his talent]: ‘You can lean into that more than you think you can’. As he gets the confidence to do that, he's finding his feet more quickly during the weekend,” he added.

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🚨 James Allison on Kimi : 🗣️ : “We talk about this a bit internally, and it may just be more gossip than reality, but the trip into the barrier at Monza, I think that may have just left him approaching the weekends with a degree of caution as a result..." “We've been

Kimi Antonelli appears indeed to have moved past that crash at his home race and has grown into one of the most exciting rookies of the 2025 season so far. He became the third youngest driver to achieve a podium finish when he clinched third place at the Canadian Grand Prix.

Kimi Antonelli reacts after his maiden points in a European F1 race

Kimi Antonelli earlier reacted after recording his maiden points-scoring finish at a European Formula 1 race. The Mercedes driver clinched a 10th-place finish at the Hungarian Grand Prix in Budapest.

The former Prema Racing driver, in the lead-up to the race weekend, had largely endured a torrid spell through the European races of the 2025 season so far. However, his outing at the Hungaroring appeared to put an end to his barren spell. Sharing his reactions as captured by Formula 1’s official website, he stated:

“I am really happy that my confidence in the car has come back this weekend. I leave Budapest feeling much more comfortable after moving back to the previous rear suspension. Yesterday’s Qualifying was just a shame, as the pace was clearly there. We can take this feeling into the second half of the season and look forward to it with optimism now.”

Prior to the Hungarian Grand Prix, Kimi Antonelli had participated in six Grand Prix on European soil and recorded four DNFs largely due to mechanical failures. His weekend at the Hungaroring appeared to be heading in a similar direction, especially off the back of his underwhelming qualifying. However, Antonelli was able to salvage his weekend with an impressive drive.