Formula 1 World Championship 2025, Round 8, Monaco Grand Prix, Circuit de Monaco, Monte Carlo, Monaco, Sunday 25 May 2025 - Andrea Kimi Antonelli (ITA) Mercedes AMG F1 on the grid.

Antonelli receives major blast after 'F4' move that ended Leclerc's Dutch GP

20:34, 02 Sep

byTobia Elia

Jacques Villeneuve was harsh on Kimi Antonelli after the young Italian driver’s costly mistake in the Dutch GP, which ended Charles Leclerc’s race.

Even before the summer break, Kimi Antonelli had started facing some criticism for a season of ups and downs and being outperformed by his teammate George Russell, but after the mistake he made in the Dutch GP during his duel with Charles Leclerc—which effectively ended the Monegasque driver’s race—the young Italian driver came further under the spotlight.

The Zandvoort weekend got off to a rocky start for the young Italian driver, who made a mistake on Friday that cost him the first 60 minutes of the session. In qualifying, he was knocked out again in Q2, setting the eleventh-fastest time, while Russell secured fifth.

Then came the race mistake, occurring at a time when Kimi was actually showing strong pace and climbing the standings quickly.

Andrea Kimi Antonelli

Villeneuve doesn't hold in his criticism of Antonelli

A costly misjudgment that didn’t escape Jacques Villeneuve’s attention, who, speaking about the Italian’s weekend on Sky Sports, didn’t hold back with his harsh words.

Judging the move, the 1997 world champion stated: "Very poor. A move that you might see in F4, F3, from a driver who doesn't have experience and just not calculated the way it should be.''

"Look how far behind he was before the corner. He was two car lengths behind. On which planet did he think it would stick, that it would work out? Everyone knows that when you go down to the inside like this, that track doesn't work.''

"you really need to be next to the other driver, like Max. He was right up the gear on the outside and barely made it stick. It was just poor, poor calculation from his spot. He should be better than that in F1."

He then added: "When you're in F1, you'll make mistakes, you drive too hard, you're on the limit, but that was not even that. It was just badly calculated. He shouldn't have done that. Then he got all riled up and (exceeded) speed limit as well. Maybe F1 is just too much for him."

Finally, for Villeneuve, Antonelli's young age (he turned 19 on August 25) is no excuse in his favor: ''He's in Formula 1. What age was Max when he arrived in F1? What age was Lewis when he arrived? So that's not a good excuse."