Mercedes technical director James Allison has acknowledged that Formula 1's recent triple-header of European races delivered a punishing run of misfortune for rookie Kimi Antonelli, calling it “a pretty tough pill to swallow” for the young Italian talent.
The 18-year-old, who stepped into his first full F1 season this year amid massive expectations, endured a string of mechanical failures and setbacks across Imola, Monaco, and Barcelona – each time leaving promising pace unrewarded and his Mercedes team frustrated.
Yet, amidst the disappointments, Antonelli’s rapid learning curve and Mercedes’ newfound setup insights offer glimmers of hope for the races ahead, according to Allison.
Misfortune Strikes Again and Again
Antonelli’s challenging stretch began at his home race in Imola, where a throttle issue forced him to retire while he was running among the top ten. Monaco was no better, with a qualifying crash burying him deep in traffic and any hope of points.
But it was Spain that cut deepest: after qualifying sixth, the teenager was comfortably running seventh, hot on the heels of Lewis Hamilton, when a power unit failure put paid to his efforts and ended his race.
“Kimi's young and full of all the optimism of youth, but I absolutely know that our failures in this period have taken a few chunks out of Kimi along the way,” Allison admitted.
“Two DNFs, one caused by a chassis problem, one caused by a PU problem in just three races. That's a pretty tough pill to swallow.”
Despite the setbacks, Allison was quick to praise Antonelli’s composure under pressure and the rapid learning curve he’s navigating, particularly during last weekend’s heat-soaked Spanish Grand Prix.
Despite the setbacks, Allison was quick to praise Antonelli’s composure under pressure and the young gun’s progress, particularly during last weekend’s heat-soaked Spanish Grand Prix.
“Leaving that aside, and Kimi looking in at himself, he will know that he's got more to find,” he added.
“But in amongst that, there's been a lot of very positive work with him and brilliant experience for him running on a very dynamic track like it was in Barcelona, with the track temperatures pushing up towards 50 degrees and managing soft tyres in those conditions.
“That is just putting experience into him at a very fast rate, and he was handling it pretty well.”
Power Unit Woes Entail Future Challenges
Antonelli’s DNF in Spain wasn’t just a lost opportunity – it could have ripple effects. The power unit failure has strained Mercedes’ allocation for the season, raising the specter of a grid penalty later in 2025.
“It puts some pressure on the pool,” he said. “We could put in a new power unit next race weekend, suffer no penalties, because we're still below the maximum number you're allowed to use in a year without penalty.
“But, of course, we're only about a third of the way through the year, so that's going to put quite a strain on the remainder of the pool if we have to eke it out until the end of the year.”
©Mercedes
The team now faces a strategic puzzle.
“So, we'll be just eyeballing up how to marshal those remaining resources in a good way. But, yes, it's obviously no fun when a power unit comes out of the pool before delivering its full life,” Allison admitted.
For Antonelli, this means more pressure to perform while navigating potential penalties – a daunting prospect for a rookie still finding his footing.
Setup Turnaround Brings Silver Lining
Even as Antonelli’s individual campaign hit turbulence, Allison found reasons to be optimistic about Mercedes’ broader progress – especially in terms of setup philosophy.
A shift in approach between Monaco and Barcelona may have finally helped Mercedes get on top of its unpredictable W16.
Read also: FIA confirms new skid block rule following Barcelona trials“I think the more important thing of these three races was we got the first couple pretty wrong on the way that we set the car up,” acknowledged the British engineer.
“Asked too much of the rear axle, suffered badly as a consequence, and we approached Barcelona with something of a different mindset.
“And on a track which would have murdered our tyres if we’d gone at it like we did in Imola and Monaco, we actually were a bit more ourselves.
“So, looking forward and knowing that we can do more of that and lean deeper into that in the races ahead, I think that’s a good thing.”
Keep up to date with all the F1 news via X and Facebook
Allison: Mercedes failures ‘a tough pill to swallow’ for Antonelli F1i.com.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Allison: Mercedes failures ‘a tough pill to swallow’ for Antonelli )
Also on site :
- India A vs England Lions, Day 1: KL Rahul slams ton, Dhruv Jurel stars as Chris Woakes bags 3fer
- Northern Colorado men’s basketball coach Steve Smiley ‘excited’ to continue with the Bears
- There's finally some clarity with Jonathan Kuminga's Warriors future