Antonelli doesn't want to get his hopes up: "Have to be realistic"
F1 News
In less than a month's time, Andrea Kimi Antonelli will make his F1 debut driving for Mercedes. How the 2025 season will go for the Germans is a question mark, with the Brackley-based team currently going through a less successful spell that's not seen them take part in a title fight since 2021. The Italian has a success-hungry mental approach, though, ahead of the start of the season, but also tries to temper expectations.
Ahead of the F1 75 Live event, Antonelli was asked regarding his outlook on what he thought would be a good 2025 season for himself and for Mercedes as a whole. "Well, I don't really have a lot of expectations, to be honest. What I'm really going to do is trying to focus on the process, try to enjoy as well", said the young Italian to GPBlog and other select media present.
Of course, the competitive aspect, and more importantly, Antonelli's hunger for success is still there. "But definitely something I really want to do is start with a good rhythm and try to build from it and try to be consistent. Of course, the mindset is always going to be the same, so trying to go on track and win and do the best job as possible."
Antonelli has to be realistic, regardless of his hunger
Nevertheless, given how close the top teams will be, scoring good results will not be easy, something Antonelli is accutely aware of. "But you have to be realistic at the same time, because [the] level is super competitive. So I'll just try to focus on myself and, and trying to work well with George and the team and then we'll see where we end up," concluded the Italian.
Certainly, Mercedes will not only battle its rivals, but also its profound struggles to interpret the current ground effect regulations effectively, which have time and time again, hindered their chances at mounting a realistic title fight since 2021.
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