Kimi Antonelli: “I am used to hearing a lot of pressure on me and I learned to manage it, but I am excited in Imola, it is the home Grand Prix”

For Kimi Antonelli, a very young Mercedes pilot, this from Imola is a special race. To see him in addition to his family, dad Marco (pilot himself) and mom Veronica, there will also be his teacher and schoolmates. “The emotion will be so great,” he says. Not only as it will go on the track, but also because this is “the home Grand Prix and it will be important to remain calm and concentrated”. We meet him in Mercedes’ Hospitality, after an extraordinary Garage Tour, a few days before the race. In the evening he will return home, in Bologna – where he attended the last year of the international report course for marketing – to celebrate his sister Maggie’s 10 years and then he will be again in Imola to sleep in the motorhome.

Bologna fan (“After the victory in the Italian Cup we celebrated and went to the center to make a strombazzare”), Kimi is just over 18 years old, but it is super focused. In Mercedes there are those who compare him to Fernando Alonso, but above all they don’t want to be considered as what comes after Lewis Hamilton. Kimi is Kimi and that’s it: a very young and super talented boy who won his first championship with the karts at just 8 years old, always under the guidance of his father. “He told me to enjoy the appointment but to be concentrated,” he says.

Are you worried about this race?
«I think it will be a difficult weekend on a mental level. The emotion of running home is great. I live half an hour from here and this is my grand prix. Competing in front of the family and friends will be a good time, but emotionally I will hear it. I will try to stay concentrated and focus on what I have to do. This is my favorite track certainly. A track that is very close to my heart: not easy, very technical, old style. There is little margin of error. “

How do you balance the pressure for the result with the need to grow as a pilot and as a person?
«It is not easy, however, I am used to it since I was feeling a lot of pressure on me and I learned to manage it. Obviously in F1 it is stronger, and above all here, with all the fans. But it can also become a stimulus to do better. It is important to know that you have the right people around you: a great team, a beautiful family. These are the things that make the difference and help you get in the car more relaxed and perform better ».

What is the added value you brought to this team?
“I try to bring positivity. They told me that my arrival was like a breath of fresh air. This was really pleased. I always try to bring my energy and I hope this affects the whole team ».

How did you change from your arrival in Formula 1?
“I am more aware of what I can do, safer than myself and I have more control of the situation.”

And how much has your life outside, how much has it changed?
“Much has changed. I struggle to go around, I still have to get used to it. But it’s also nice to see many people who support you. The thing I am very happy with is that my friends, those of school, are always the same. I have a nice group, we are 5 or six. We met the first time three years ago and developed a nice relationship. which has not changed after the announcement of my entry into F1. I feared they would have treated me differently, but luckily it didn’t happen and this help so much. Because in the end in this world you can have your friendships, but it is very easy then to be alone outside. For this reason, maintaining these bonds is fundamental. I invited the whole class to see me. When you can spend some time with friends, after a race weekend. You can disconnect your head a little, return to reality. These moments help you return to the stronger track ».

How does it go with the preparation for maturity?
«I can’t attend school regularly, but I’m trying to study as much as possible. I try to recover the ground and the lessons lost, but it is not easy ».