Andrea Kimi Antonelli had another tough showing during the Belgian Grand Prix weekend, which saw him finish both races outside of the points-paying positions.

Kimi Antonelli also failed to get out of Q1 in both qualifying sessions over the course of the weekend, and looked beside himself with his performance in the media pen after qualifying for the Grand Prix.

The 18-year-old has shown glimpses of his talent throughout his rookie season with Mercedes, which has seen him snatch a podium in Montreal and a Sprint pole position in Miami.

However, recent results have seen the young Italian fail to score points in six of his last seven races, with four of those being early retirements.

Andrew Shovlin put the blame on the Mercedes team for the lack of recent results, stating that Antonelli has suffered due to the car not being as competitive as it was earlier in the season.

READ MORE: Know all about 2025 Mercedes F1 driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli including stats

Bernie Collins thinks Mercedes should use Valtteri Bottas in commitments that put pressure on Kimi Antonelli

Speaking on The F1 Show podcast, former F1 strategist Bernie Collins touched upon how Mercedes can protect Antonelli by getting reserve driver Valtteri Bottas to fill in for the Italian in marketing commitments.

“I think that he just needs a reset. Like you say, drivers really resent doing any of the marketing. They’re focused on what they would need to do better.

“Mercedes is a big team and has a lot of commitments. They should lean on Valtteri a bit more. I appreciate that Kimi is younger and new to it. He’s keen to get involved in all the things.

“He doesn’t want to say no to anyone. Doesn’t want to become this awkward driver that people are a bit hesitant to go and ask for things. But that’s why he needs a good team around him, good people who are looking out for his best interests, and getting things right for him.”

READ MORE: Valtteri Bottas’ life outside F1 from girlfriend to wine and gin

Kimi Antonelli’s seat in F1 at Mercedes looks safe for at least another year

With Max Verstappen’s position of third in the drivers’ championship cemented until after the summer break at the very least, the rumours of him joining Mercedes for the 2026 season have died down.

Antonelli is still without a contract for the 2025 season, after being handed a one-year contract for his rookie season in F1 alongside George Russell, who is also without a contract for next year at the moment.

RaceResultEmilia Romagna Grand PrixDNFMonaco Grand Prix18Spanish Grand PrixDNFCanadian Grand Prix3Austrian Grand PrixDNFBritish Grand PrixDNFBelgian Grand Prix16

However, paddock insiders believe Mercedes are poised to make an announcement regarding Antonelli and Russell’s future, with team boss Toto Wolff previously stating that the two current Mercedes drivers are his ‘top priority’.

F1 fans believe Wolff has made an error in putting Antonelli in the Mercedes for his rookie season, with many sharing the same sentiment that he should have spent a season at a midfield team before his call-up to the German constructor.