Mercedes<\/a> immediately saw Antonelli show why they made him the third-youngest F1 driver when he rose from P16 to P4 in the Australian Grand Prix. Antonelli broke Max Verstappen\u2019s record as F1\u2019s youngest Grand Prix leader in Japan<\/a>, as well as registering the fastest lap, too.<\/p>\n But after Antonelli became the youngest-ever F1 polesitter in the Miami Sprint<\/a>, he only took points in two of the next eight rounds. Only his single point for P10 in the Hungarian GP also came in Europe, with Antonelli achieving his maiden F1 podium with P3 in the Canadian GP<\/a>.<\/p>\n Mercedes\u2019 rear suspension upgrade caused Antonelli to lose his confidence<\/a> with their car in Austria, Britain and Belgium, before it was removed in Hungary. But the Bologna boy admits he also put \u2018unnecessary pressure\u2019 on himself to deliver in Europe as he knew those circuits.<\/p>\n READ MORE: Alex Jacques believes that Mercedes \u2018regret\u2019 one Andrea Kimi Antonelli career decision after his difficult Belgian Grand Prix<\/a><\/p>\n Position Drivers’ Championship PointsPts 1 284 2 275 3 187 4 172 5 151 6 109 7 64 <\/p>\n Antonelli told RACER<\/a>: \u201cI think in the European season, I\u2019ve been putting a bit of unnecessary pressure on myself just because, obviously, I was driving on tracks that I knew already.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s why I felt like in tracks that I didn\u2019t know, I\u2019ve been performing much better just because I had no expectation, and I was just driving naturally and then see what was happening, what was coming as a result.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd when in European races, I was like, \u2018OK, it\u2019s a track I know, I must do well\u2019. But then this made me drive tense and not relaxed, and with more pressure, and that affected the performance, as well.\u201d<\/p>\n Mercedes have seen Andrea Kimi Antonelli\u2019s first real rookie errors during F1\u2019s European leg<\/p>\n Antonelli irked Mercedes after inviting his school friends to Imola<\/a> for the Emilia Romagna GP at the beginning of the European leg this May. Imola is in Antonelli\u2019s backyard, so he wanted to celebrate the occasion with those close to him. But their presence would be a distraction.<\/p>\n READ MORE: Know all about 2025 Mercedes F1 driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli including stats<\/a><\/p>\n CategoryGeorge RussellAndrea Kimi Antonelli2025 points17264Grand Prix results140Grand Prix qualifying131Grand Prix wins10Grand Prix poles10Grand Prix podiums61Best finish1st3rdDisqualifications00Retirements02Retirements (classified finish)00Fastest laps22Grand Prix points finishes148Sprint results30Sprint Qualifying21Sprint wins00Sprint poles01Sprint podiums00The 2025 F1 teammate head-to-head battle of George Russell and Andrea Kimi Antonelli<\/p>\n While his teammate George Russell qualified P3 for the Emilia Romagna GP, Antonelli bowed out in P13. He also retired at Imola with a throttle sensor issue for the 18-year-old\u2019s first DNF in F1. Antonelli\u2019s retirements in Spain (engine) and Britain (collision) were also not his doing.<\/p>\n But Mercedes could only blame their academy product when Antonelli crashed in qualifying for the Monaco GP<\/a> and would start the race from P15, before finishing in P18. It was also all of his own doing when Antonelli crashed into Verstappen on the first lap of the Austrian GP<\/a>.<\/p>\n![\"Mercedes](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/GettyImages-2227601026-1024x683.jpg\")
Photo by Luca Martini\/SOPA Images\/LightRocket via Getty ImagesAndrea Kimi Antonelli admits he put \u2018unnecessary pressure\u2019 on himself in the European F1 races<\/p>\n