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KUALA LUMPUR – Kimi Antonelli has a simple reminder for himself as the pressure of fighting at the sharp end of Formula One (F1) continues to build – enjoy it.
The 20-year-old Mercedes-AMG Petronas driver admitted that competing at the highest level can make it easy to get carried away, particularly when expectations are high and every result carries greater weight.
Asked how he separates himself from the pressure of fighting at the front of the championship, Antonelli said the key was remembering why he was there in the first place.
“Obviously, especially when you’re at the highest level, fighting for the top, it’s easy sometimes to get carried away from the moment and forget the basics, which is to enjoy and do the best you can,” he said during a Mercedes media session today ahead of this weekend’s race at Sepang International Circuit.
For Antonelli, those “basics” are surprisingly simple.
He reminded himself that he was doing what he had dreamed of since childhood – racing at the highest level.
“At the end of the day, you know, we have to remind ourselves that we’re very lucky to do what we love.
“You know, what we’ve tried most since we were kids,” he said.
That, however, does not mean the pressure disappears.
Antonelli acknowledged that reaching the front of the F1 grid comes with enormous expectations, even for a driver who has worked towards that moment for years.
“Of course, we work really hard for it and we do our best,” he said. “But yes, in this kind of situation, it’s not easy.”
The young Italian said it was particularly easy to take things too seriously, allowing the pressure of the moment to affect his mindset and approach.
“And maybe you take things sometimes a bit too seriously. Also, you have the wrong mindset, the wrong approach.
“Once you find your way to approach things and to live through the moment, then everything becomes easier and you realise that you enjoy also much more the experience,” Antonelli said.
The Sepang weekend presents another challenge for Antonelli, who has never raced the circuit in an F1 car.
He will share the Mercedes garage with George Russell as the two continue their championship fight, with more experienced drivers around them bringing years of knowledge of the circuit.
In his rookie F1 season last year, Antonelli finished seventh in the Drivers’ Championship with 150 points and three podium finishes for Mercedes.
Russell finished fourth overall with 319 points.
The championship will run at Sepang from Friday (Oct 2) to Sunday (Oct 4), with the circuit hosting the event under the Bahrain Grand Prix banner.
The race marks F1’s return to Sepang for the first time since 2017.
