(Motorsport-Total.com) – Bradley Lord, Mercedes’ Deputy Team Principal, is convinced: Andrea Kimi Antonelli has undergone a maturation process in his debut season that normally takes three years. The Italian joined the Brackley team in 2025, thus taking on the heavy legacy of seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton.
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Thrown directly into the spotlight of a top team, Antonelli withstood the pressure of his new role and finished seventh in the drivers’ standings with 150 points. He secured his first podium finish in the premier class at the 2025 Canadian Grand Prix, followed by two more podiums in Brazil and Las Vegas.
“It was really great to see Kimi’s confidence gradually catch up with the trust the team has placed in him,” Lord explained on the Mercedes Nu Silver Arrows Radio Show.
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“From the outside, or as an observer, it’s very easy to assume that every driver has perfect confidence at all times and firmly believes they can do it,” Lord continued. “But to see Kimi having to build that belief in himself first – especially after the difficult phase last season, which certainly gnawed at his self-confidence a bit – was impressive.”
The youngster’s final sprint, in particular, convinced those responsible: “To observe how you pulled the necessary levers to rebuild that with Baku, Las Vegas, and Brazil, and these extremely strong performances at the end of the season, that was the positive.”
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Three Years of Learning in Fast Motion
Lord draws an interesting comparison to the Italian’s development: “People often talk about the difficult second album or the difficult second season of a driver. It seemed to me as if Kimi had packed about three years’ worth of learning into a single year last year.”
External circumstances also played a role: “Perhaps it was also due to being in a top team and being under the pressure of fighting for second place in the Constructors’ Championship – that’s not something a rookie normally has to deal with.”
The result of this tough schooling is now evident to Lord in the current campaign: “When we now see the Kimi who started 2026, who has had his winter reset, then it feels – at least to me – as if you have more than just one season of experience under your belt. You learned an enormous amount at an accelerated pace last year.”
The upward trend is measurable: Antonelli secured his first Grand Prix victory at the 2026 Chinese Grand Prix and took the lead in the World Championship with another success in Japan.
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