Kimi Antonelli pledges 360-degree effort after challenging Bahrain F1 test

Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli has vowed to work “360 degrees” to understand the team's 2025 challenger after a disrupted pre-season test in Bahrain, where he completed the fewest laps of any driver but also set the fastest overall time. The Italian acknowledged struggles with tire management and a need to experiment with all scenarios as the season opener in Melbourne approaches.

Why it matters:

For a highly-touted rookie stepping into a top team, maximizing track time during pre-season testing is critical for building confidence and understanding the car's limits. Antonelli's limited running due to technical issues could put him on the back foot for the first race, making his adaptation speed and the team's ability to provide a reliable platform key factors in his early-season performance.

The details:

• Antonelli managed only 82 laps across the three-day test, the lowest total of all 22 drivers, due to various issues that kept the car in the garage for extended periods.
• Despite the lack of mileage, he ended the final day by setting the fastest lap time of the entire test, showing promising one-lap pace.
• He expressed positive initial feelings about the new-generation car, describing it as lighter, shorter, and more agile, particularly praising its responsiveness in low-speed corners like Turns 6 and 7 in Bahrain.
• The driver highlighted significant differences in the new power unit and identified tire management on the hardest C1 compound as a specific area for immediate improvement.

What's next:

Antonelli faces a compressed timeline to prepare for the season's start. His focus for the final pre-season test will be comprehensive.

• He plans to prioritize long-run simulations to improve race pace and tire management, an area he singled out after his running on the C1 tire.
• Equally important will be building on his qualifying pace, as his fast lap in Bahrain was among his first dedicated qualifying simulations.
• The goal is to use the remaining track time to “experiment with all the possible scenarios” before the championship begins in Melbourne, where a strong start will be crucial for momentum.