Mercedes: Antonelli's 'strong' Brazil GP is his progress 'paying off'
Photo: Race Pictures
Updated:
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Shayni Solanki joined GPblog in the autumn of 2025 as an NCTJ-qualified motorsport journalist with a degree in History and Classics from the University of Warwick.
Shayni works for TNT Sports/Eurosport covering MotoGP, WEC, WRC, Formula E and Speedway, and has bylines in Motorsport Week, Motor Sport Magazine and Racing Pride. She initially fell in love with motorcycle racing before discovering Formula 1 as a young Ferrari fan.
Mercedes Deputy Technical Director Simone Resta believes that Kimi Antonelli's Brazilian Grand Prix performance was due to progress made after the European leg of the 2025 F1 season, claiming that the Italian is "more focused" on the technical aspects.
Antonelli scored his best-ever result in his Formula 1 campaign so far with a P2 finish at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix, having battled it out with Max Verstappen on the final few laps to secure his second podium finish.
The rookie driver performed incredibly well in Interlagos, qualifying in second place in both the Sprint and regular qualifying, and also finishing P2 in the Sprint.
Kimi Antonelli podium at the Brazilian Grand Prix - Photo: Race Pictures
We think that having him more focused into technical things and less into other activities is paying off as well.- Simone Resta
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Resta said in the Mercedes debrief: "Well definitely it was a very strong performance from Kimi, P2 in all the quali and the race sessions, so very strong performance.
"We believe that essentially his performance is coming from all the work done with him after a few of the European races, working on the preparation, working on the focus, working on the pre-event work, on the simulator and trying to involve him more and more and more in the preparation of the weekend.
"We think all that is paying off. We think that having him more focused into technical things and less into other activities is paying off as well.
"So I think this is the result of some work done weeks ago."
The young Italian driver currently sits in seventh place in the Drivers' Standings, just 26 points behind the seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton.
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Antonelli scored 25 points across the Brazilian Grand Prix weekend, with a second-place finish during the sprint race and second on Sunday.
With Ferrari falling on the back foot of Mercedes in the last few races, Antonelli could overtake Hamilton in the standings if it continues to go wrong for Ferrari.
Although the rookie has endured a season full of ups and downs, his weekend at Interlagos showed off his brilliance.
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