Lewis Hamilton might have wished he were still at Mercedes during last weekend’s Saudi Arabian GP, as he spent most of the race staring at the rear wing of a Silver Arrows car.
Starting from P7, Hamilton was hoping to make some places up and build some confidence by scoring big points after what has proved to be a difficult start to life at Ferrari. But ahead of him was his replacement at Mercedes, 18-year-old Kimi Antonelli.
Antonelli made life difficult for Hamilton. Starting on the medium compound tires, the Italian was not at his quickest in the first stint and was conservative with his tires, but according to Deputy Team Principal Simone Resta, it allowed him to save his tires and attack later.
In the end, this turned out to be crucial. When Hamilton was firing and looked set to move past Antonelli’s W16, Antonelli simply pulled away.
“Differently from George [Russell], Kimi started a bit easier in the stint,” Resta said in the team debrief. “So he was able to keep, let’s say, some margin into the tires. So, when he met with, let’s say with defending Lewis, he had the pace in hand and was able to open the gap at the end of the stint.”
Antonelli’s burst of speed before his first pit stop ensured he pulled far enough ahead of Hamilton to create some breathing room between them. On lap 19, the Bologna-born driver came out ahead of the seven-time world champion, and that was that.
How was that, Kimi? ️
A solid effort by our rookie to finish P6 on a circuit as demanding and difficult as Jeddah! pic.twitter.com/hwkA6mMLsG
— Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team (@MercedesAMGF1) April 20, 2025
Antonelli ended up finishing P6, around five seconds ahead of Hamilton, with Russell crossing the line fifth.
Considering the Brackley-based squad did not look as fast as Red Bull or McLaren on the day, it was a solid haul of points, one which allowed them to remain P2 in the standings, 22 points clear of Red Bull in P3. On the other hand, it was another frustrating day for Hamilton.
The Stevenage-born driver continues to struggle to get up to speed with the SF-25, with persistent qualifying issues hampering his ability to perform on par with teammate Charles Leclerc, who secured a podium (P3) in Jeddah. Why? Team Principal Frederic Vasseur believes it comes down to a lack of confidence. “With the car. Perhaps a little bit with himself. Also, that everything is new—and for sure…” the Frenchman said.
As for Antonelli, his start to life in F1 remains impressive. The Italian has scored points in every race so far except the Bahrain GP, where he narrowly missed out with a P11 finish as Mercedes complicated his tire strategy.
