- Bottas praises Antonelli after the Italian’s recent back-to-back race victories.
- Cadillac driver highlights Antonelli’s impressive growth since debut last year.
- Championship leader Antonelli now holds a nine-point lead over Russell.
Former Mercedes and current Cadillac driver, Valtteri Bottas, expressed his happiness for Kimi Antonelli, who secured back-to-back wins in the last two Grand Prixs.
Though Antonelli’s F1 career started last year, Bottas praised his immense growth and always knew that he would go a level up in this current season. He’s proud to see the progress he continues to make.
Bottas tenure with the Silver Arrows lasted from 2017 to 2021. After his final year, he and Toto Wolff mutually agreed that he would quit the team and would be replaced by George Russell, who was a part of Williams at the time.
He wasn’t retained as he was looking for longer contract deals, which unfortunately Mercedes wasn’t able to provide. The Finn later switched to Alfa Romeo / Sauber before rejoining Mercedes again in 2025 as a reserve driver. Currently, he races for Cadillac alongside Sergio Perez.
Bottas has nothing but praise for the young Italian, Antonelli
During an interview with F1, Bottas, who witnessed Antonelli’s debut season from the garage, was immensely proud of watching him secure his maiden win in China.
He said, “I was really happy to see that, Kimi getting his first win. I think it was just a matter of time with the machinery they have this year, and he just had a solid weekend – very good Qualifying, very good race, and got the win.”
He then reflected on his growth from last year to the present, admitting that although he is young, he has learned a lot, which is clearly reflected in his performance this season. He also praised how the Italian is gaining knowledge and experience each weekend.
Further, he noted that his growth is becoming increasingly noticeable and expressed that he is happy about the progress he’s making. He was also “really proud” about his impressive season start.
A growth so loud it has sparked championship talks
Since the season began, George Russell has been a favourite to win a championship this year. But, now that the season is moving, the title talks have also been tossed towards Antonelli, clearly because he has outqualified his teammate twice in the last two Grand Prixs.
The surprising fact is that it’s just his second year in F1, and he has already become a championship leader, snatching away the lead from Russell.
Additionally, the last two Grand Prixs also proved to be significant not just for his career but also for the history books. Firstly, he became the youngest pole sitter in China and then went on to become the second youngest driver after Max Verstappen to win a maiden race.
By the time he reached Suzuka, at whose race start he faced some struggles, as his lead was snatched away on Turn 1, he eventually recovered and secured a win. He’s now 9 points ahead of his teammate.
The debates and discussions around his championship have already begun; however, Toto Wolff wants to “protect” him from that. Earlier, Mercedes boss revealed that he believes it’s too early for such title talks and doesn’t help the young driver grow. Antonelli has echoed similar sentiments as well, read here.
