Kimi Antonelli reveals Mercedes have brought upgrades to the F1 2025 Emilia Romagna GP in their quest to hunt down McLaren, leading to the question: Could he win his home race?
If the 18-year-old from Bologna claims victory at the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari, located just 44.5km away, he would cap off a fine week for Bolognese sports after the football team won the Coppa Italia against AC Milan on May 14.
However, it will likely be a tall order for the talented youngster in the face of a McLaren package that managed to romp home to victory in Miami by an astonishing 37 seconds in the USA.
Yet the Silver Arrows, second in the standings, are on the charge as they look to close the gap to the championship leaders ahead and Antonelli reveals the team are bringing upgrades to the F1 2025 Emilia Romagna GP: So does he think Mercedes can win?
“I don’t feel I am in a position to [win] as I still have so much to learn,” Antonelli told media in Italy. “But the car is so consistent.
“The gap to McLaren is so big which is the true picture – they were flying, and impossible to catch. This weekend we will have a few updates on the car, that will help us.”
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Antonelli still putting the whole package together as Mercedes bring Emilia Romagna upgrades
Despite showing flashes of impressive speed such as his charge at the F1 2025 Japanese GP, or his surprising Sprint Pole at the Miami International Autodrome on May 3, the starlet is yet to be consistent across the entire weekend.
For example, in Japan he had qualified a few tenths behind his teammate, George Russell. Whilst after securing pole for the Miami Sprint, in the race itself he actually slipped down to seventh, behind his Silver Arrows colleague again.
As a very young racer, who is only a rookie in this Formula 1 season, he’s not yet flustered by the demands of the sport but admits he is striving to find that perfect balance over an entire weekend.
“I wouldn’t call it a weak point,” Antonelli continued. “But something I have been struggling to do is put the whole weekend together.
“There are so many variables in F1, it is so hard to consistently put the whole weekend together from FP1 to the race.
“A few degrees difference in qualifying can make the different between a good lap or not. In the race, pushing too much can ruin a stint.
“This year, where I was doing a bad quali, the race was going well. Then in Miami I did a good quali and the race didn’t go so well. So definitely working on that.”
