MEXICO CITY – Andrea Kimi Antonelli credited the low ebbs of his debut Components 1 season, and the following criticism he obtained, as “gasoline to the hearth” in aiding his World Championship triumph.
The Italian completed third within the Mexico Metropolis Grand Prix to safe the title, changing into the youngest-ever within the sport’s historical past, and Italy’s since Alberto Ascari in 1953.
Antonelli was held aloft by race winner Max Verstappen and second-placed Lewis Hamilton on the podium, capping a momentous and historic season for the Mercedes driver.
After the race, Antonelli admitted that the second was nonetheless surreal, however did not lose sight of the remaining races within the calendar, naming the goal of ending as strongly as he has been all all through.
“Yeah, I’m nonetheless attempting to grasp and perceive for the time being what has simply occurred,” he advised media, together with Motorsport Week. “As a result of, , if you work so exhausting, and since I used to be a child, I’ve been dreaming of attaining this, and if you lastly obtain it, it’s really, really particular, and clearly all of the feelings as properly come out, and to have the opportunity as properly to share this second, to witness this second with my complete household, with my crew, and all of my buddies as properly is a second that will likely be at all times remembered.
“And I’m simply tremendous completely happy and grateful for what has simply occurred, and all of the alternatives, all of the assist that I’ve received, not solely this yr however since I joined the crew as properly, so, yeah, simply gonna attempt to take pleasure in all of it the way in which, after which take pleasure in as properly the remainder of the season, as a result of we nonetheless received just a few races to go.
“However we nonetheless need to end on a excessive, after which clearly, it is a new level the place to start out once more, and, yeah, to simply construct on and enhance.”
2025 criticism made Kimi Antonelli ‘rather more prepared’
Antonelli’s title triumph completes a outstanding comeback story, having been pilloried by many throughout a troublesome maiden marketing campaign final yr.
Struggling to adapt to a difficult Mercedes automotive, Antonelli typically lagged behind teammate George Russell, resulting in criticism and assertions that he was not prepared for Components 1, together with from former Crimson Bull advisor Helmut Marko, who instructed he would have benefitted from being in a less-high-profile squad slightly than the Silver Arrows.
And when requested by Motorsport Week if these criticisms had given him additional encouragement to succeed this yr, Antonelli admitted that it might have added some impotus to his activity.
“It’s at all times good to close off among the noise,” he stated. “And naturally, I believe in some ways, it does assist so as to add gasoline to the hearth, the truth that some individuals stated that I wasn’t belonging to Components 1, that I wasn’t prepared for it, which sooner or later final yr, I most likely appeared like I wasn’t prepared for it.
“However I believe final yr, having the ability to expertise these moments made me rather more prepared as properly, I had that this yr, I believe experiencing actually low and troublesome conditions, excessive stress moments, actually helped me to face sure conditions this yr, and positively made me mature rather a lot as a driver, as an individual.
“And nonetheless, this yr, unhealthy moments the place I might have finished higher, rather a lot higher, so yeah, it’s only a fixed studying course of.
“However I believe final yr, having the ability to race straight into Mercedes, clearly, straight on the highlight, made me develop a lot sooner than if I’d have gone to a smaller crew, for instance.”
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