Kimi Antonelli’s home debut in Imola turned chaotic, with pressure, distractions, and media hype drawing harsh criticism from Jacques Villeneuve.
Antonelli admits that the worst personal performance of his young Formula 1 career was clearly linked to the excitement and buzz of his first home Grand Prix.
The 18-year-old Italian arrived in Imola, just a 30-minute train ride from his hometown of Bologna, with 100 trays of lasagna for the Mercedes team.
Still a high school student, he also invited his entire class to the circuit, several family members including his sister, and was cheered on by the Italian press and “tifosi” with a fervor usually reserved for Ferrari.
All of this happened in the total absence of Antonelli’s mentor, Mercedes team principal and co-owner Toto Wolff, who, when not present at races, always remains connected via radio and remote data feeds.
This time, however, for the first time, the Austrian was completely disconnected from events in Imola, as he was attending his eldest son’s graduation ceremony in Los Angeles.
“This will be the first race I’ll miss entirely. This Grand Prix is particularly important for Kimi. He’ll feel strong pressure from the Italian media. He needs to reject anything that isn’t good for him.”
In reality, Antonelli – who ultimately retired due to a technical issue – struggled more than in any other race so far in 2025.
“I have to work on my driving,” he admitted after the checkered flag. “I have to see where I can improve and also improve my race pace, especially in hot conditions. I think it was my worst weekend in terms of performance.”
“I didn’t manage the crowd’s energy very well. I wasn’t as relaxed, I was more tense at the wheel. But I learned my lesson ahead of the next home race at Monza.”
“I didn’t take enough time for myself most of the time. I was wasting energy and that affected the car’s performance.”
In Wolff’s absence, acting team principal Bradley Lord, head of communications and media, said Imola had been a “bitter setback” for the Brackley-based team.
1997 world champion Jacques Villeneuve was scathing toward Mercedes and Antonelli, who had allowed the hype to affect performance.
“It’s cute,” he said ironically. “He brought his friends, but this is his office. You don’t bring friends or family to the office.”
Villeneuve also said he had heard Gwen Lagrue, head of driver development at Mercedes, was “not very happy” about the off-track events surrounding Antonelli at the Imola GP.
And MotoGP legend Valentino Rossi, who has spent time karting with Antonelli, was also present at Imola and admitted his compatriot had struggled with all the attention.
“It was really hard for him, the first weekend at Imola, in Italy. It’s tough. I saw him being pulled from all sides. With experience, he’ll start saying no to some people.”
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