Mercedes F1 recently discussed its plan with rookie driver Kimi Antonelli. This is after its admission that he had big shoes to fill, being Lewis Hamilton’s successor in its racing lineup.

Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula 1 team communications director Bradley Lord explained that Mercedes prioritizes Kimi Antonelli’s growth over immediate results. He said they want to focus on building his confidence, and above all, they want to get him more involved with the engineering team.

Antonelli, the 18-year-old Italian talent who stepped into Lewis Hamilton’s seat after the Briton’s move to Ferrari for 2025, started his F1 journey impressively. He secured fourth place in a wet Australian Grand Prix, claimed Sprint pole in Miami, and set records in Japan as the youngest driver to lead laps and post the fastest lap. A podium followed in Canada, but Antonelli’s results waned as the W16 struggled, mirroring teammate George Russell’s limited podium finishes since Miami, including a win in Montreal.

Lord attributes the dip to the car’s sensitivity to temperature changes and a problematic Imola upgrade that engineers later removed. Mercedes accepts full blame for these issues and commits to delivering a more predictable machine.

The official revealed that they are encouraging Antonelli to reflect on the insights gleaned from the previous events, and not to fixate his attention too much on race results. He urged the driver to spend time with the engineers to extract maximum information.

Hamilton notably vouched for Antonelli before jumping to Ferrari. He called what he was doing “fantastic” and expected the young driver to achieve more as he built experience with Mercedes.