Mercedes rookie Andrea Kimi Antonelli praises Valtteri Bottas for key guidance

Dominika Jordan
Apr 18, 2025, 8:56 AM ET

Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli praises Bottas for mentoring during his debut Formula 1 season.

Red Bull Racing/Red Bull Content Pool

Andrea Kimi Antonelli credits veteran reserve driver Valtteri Bottas for providing critical support in his debut campaign. Despite stepping away from full-time racing, the hugely accomplished Finnish driver is proving his value in an off-track role as a mentor to the promising Italian youngster.

Bottas, a 35-year-old with a glittering career spanning 246 races and 10 Grand Prix victories, joined Mercedes in a reserve capacity after losing his seat at Sauber—a team set to be rebranded under Audi—from the 2022 season. His wealth of experience learned alongside the likes of seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes has now become a valuable resource for Antonelli, aged just 18, as he settles into the demanding world of Formula 1.

Antonelli, who is currently sixth in the driver standings after four races, spoke highly of Bottas during the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix weekend, particularly highlighting how the Finn’s advice massively shifted his fortunes in Suzuka earlier this month.

"I'm never going to refuse or never not going to listen to any advice," Antonelli told reporters. "I'm just a young fella coming into the world of F1. I've got so much more to learn. So it's been extremely helpful … Suzuka was a massive help. Together with him I was able to turn around massively the weekend from what it was looking before in practice to what it looked in qualifying and then after the race."

Antonelli had struggled significantly with tire warm-up issues at the iconic Japanese circuit, something Bottas helped him rectify before qualifying and race day.

"In Suzuka, I was definitely struggling a lot with [tire] warm-up. So that was a really good help from him, explaining the best things to do in the warm-up in order to be able to extract the best of the tire, having the tires ready for the lap," Antonelli explained. "It's not so much about driving but all about those little details that can make the difference on track."

Antonelli’s weekend finished on a high in Japan as he notched sixth place, providing valuable championship points. In the process, he achieved notable milestones, becoming the youngest driver ever to lead a Formula 1 Grand Prix and setting the fastest lap.

Meanwhile, Bottas remains a towering figure in Mercedes’ history. As a driver for the Silver Arrows from 2017 to 2021, Bottas partnered with Hamilton to form one of the most dominant driver pairings in Formula 1 history, finishing as overall runner-up in the drivers' championship during the 2019 and 2020 seasons. The Finn has fond memories of Suzuka too, standing atop the podium there in 2019 with a race victory.

Though Bottas now operates in the shadows rather than the spotlight, his guidance appears to be shaping Antonelli into one of the sport’s brightest prospects. If Suzuka was anything to go by, Mercedes may have struck gold once again with the partnership between their promising rookie and their seasoned veteran.