Snappixify
The combination of the Italian and German national anthems is something that simply hasn't been heard on the F1 podium for a long time. This time, however, "Il Canto degli Italiani" played for 19-year-old Kimi Antonelli.
Despite various imperfections, such as losing the pole position advantage at the start, missing a braking point in the closing stages, and veteran official F1 announcer Bob Constanduros operating on muscle memory and introducing him as "Kimi Räikkönen" when he took the podium, none of this diminishes the value of Antonelli's first F1 Grand Prix victory.
Last Sunday's Chinese Grand Prix was only Antonelli's 26th Grand Prix entry. Although achieving a maiden win in such a short time already surpasses the vast majority of F1 race winners, the path this Italian teenager has taken hasn't been entirely smooth. From crashing during his first FP1 outing on the weekend he was officially announced at Monza in 2024, to his stunning performances in the opening rounds of the 2025 season, going through a slump described by Mercedes boss Toto Wolff as "disappointing," and then returning to the podium at the end of the season—such a roller-coaster rookie campaign has provided Antonelli with plenty of experiences and lessons to absorb and digest.
It turns out that the Mercedes W17 under the new regulations is a rocket ship, and Antonelli has entered his "sophomore year" with a more mature attitude. He secured second place in both qualifying and the race at the season opener in Melbourne. Arriving at the Sprint weekend in Shanghai, he claimed his first-ever Grand Prix pole position—albeit benefiting somewhat from Russell's sudden car failure at the start of Q3. But what was most stunning was how, after being overtaken by the two Ferraris at the start, the Italian youngster calmly executed overtakes to reclaim the lead and subsequently dictated the pace of the race.
"Starts are still our weakness. To be honest, I didn't have a lot of confidence at the time because my previous two starts were terrible, so I didn't know what to expect. Obviously, I defended a bit too much on the inside and left too much space on the outside, which we might need to review. But the race pace was really good, especially the feeling on the hard tires. Although I got a bit too relaxed at the end and made a mistake, which added some pressure on myself, I successfully brought the win home in the end," Antonelli said at the post-race press conference.
"I learned a lot, first and foremost never to get too relaxed. Things went smoothly today, but the situation could have been much worse. So you always have to stay on your toes and keep your focus, because in the final stages I left room for a mistake, and the mistake happened. I just need to make sure it doesn't happen again... I think this is a massive lesson."
Antonelli's Mercedes teammate George Russell, as well as Lewis Hamilton, whom he replaced, both offered their congratulations to the younger driver. The latter, in particular, having finally secured his first podium since joining Ferrari, took multiple selfies with the Italian during and after the press conference.
"A massive congratulations again to the guy next to me. Being here with him yesterday, watching him get his first career pole, and now getting his first win, it feels amazing. Getting your first Grand Prix win is very special, and I still remember what it was like when I got my first win. At the time... (Antonelli chimed in, 'I was only one year old then') You were born in 2006, right? That's ridiculous! So, seeing this is truly magical. After so many years, seeing him emerge and seeing a well-deserved rising star stand on the top step of the podium feels really great."
It is worth mentioning that after taking pole position on Saturday, when asked about his chances of winning the World Championship, Antonelli quite honestly stated that he needed to improve his risk and reward management skills. Regarding Antonelli's self-awareness, Mercedes boss Toto Wolff, who single-handedly brought him up, said after the race on Sunday: "Did he use those words? It seems he really listened, which is quite gratifying. I have mentioned to him that during free practice, or towards the end of a race, sometimes there's no need to push the car to the absolute limit. For a young driver, the key is to adjust the driving state to ensure absolutely no mistakes are made. This requires a certain amount of adaptation and calibration, just like the wild ups and downs we experienced last year. We will still encounter other moments of error this year, because he is, after all, still a very young lad."
Antonelli's father, Marco, accompanies him to every race. Regarding his son realizing one of his biggest dreams, he believes Wolff deserves the most credit, because as a father, he once doubted whether his son was ready for F1. "We talked about this. Two years ago we were in Monza, and I asked Toto, 'Do you think Kimi, having just started F2, is ready to take that seat?' Toto said, 'I think he's ready.' I said, 'Alright then, let's do it.' But at the end of the day, the best guy is Toto."
In Shanghai, Antonelli became the youngest Grand Prix polesitter and the second-youngest Grand Prix winner, and now more records await him. Wolff's joy over Antonelli's maiden victory was palpable. In his view, the Italian teenager possesses a potential unique to great champions.
"As a driver, you can learn a lot. Whether in karting or junior single-seaters, if you do a lot of laps, you will reach a certain level, but you can never learn that pure speed. When it rains, you can immediately see on a kart track who the naturally gifted kid is. And there are those who can go fast straight out of the box; they don't need many laps to get up to speed. These are things you cannot learn. Kimi has exactly this talent. Not many people possess this talent, and even without it, you can become a Grand Prix winner. With some luck and a good car, you might even fight for a World Championship. But to become a truly great Champion driver, it is absolutely essential. On top of that, you need maturity, charisma, humility, intelligence, empathy for your team members, and so on. To become a great World Champion, there are about twenty key factors, and what Kimi has are precisely those traits that cannot be acquired through learning."
Representing Mercedes on the podium to collect the winning constructor's trophy last Sunday was Antonelli's race engineer, Peter Bonnington. The Briton, affectionately known as "Bono," famous for scripting a glorious track record alongside Hamilton, has now become the Italian teenager's mentor on the F1 track.
Speaking about working with Antonelli, Bonnington said: "Kimi brings a completely different vibe. He is obviously still very young, full of energy, and really loves bringing the guys in the garage together. He always likes to joke around, but equally, he knows when it's time to get his head down and work hard. With Kimi, he places a lot of faith and trust in me because I have the experience, and he has the youth. Our way of working is a bit different; I'm sort of guiding him, taking him step-by-step through the process of becoming a champion. He has just taken the first step, so we need to continue building on this steadily."
Snappixify Online Video Downloader is a user-friendly, free tool that allows you to easily download videos from a variety of online platforms. Whether it's a short video from social media or high-definition content from streaming services, Snappixify quickly converts and saves them in MP4 or MP3 format for offline viewing or sharing. Supporting multiple platforms, this tool ensures a high-quality video download experience. Simply copy and paste the video link into the Snappixify website, follow a few easy steps, and enjoy your favorite videos anytime, anywhere.
