1997 Formula 1 world champion Jacques Villeneuve has given a scathing assessment of Kimi Antonelli’s rookie season with Mercedes following a disappointing qualifying performance for the driver at the 2025 Dutch Grand Prix. The Mercedes rookie will start from 11th on the grid, failing to reach Q3 as team-mate George Russell will start fifth.
Speaking to Sky Sports F1, the Canadian did not hold back as he evaluated the young Italian’s performance, which has fluctuated hugely this year.
“It’s tough because he’s already burnt himself up a bit,” Villeneuve told Simon Lazenby. “It’s really hard to get back from that. The break was supposed to be the big reset and it wasn’t.”
Dismissing Antonelli’s age as a factor, he drew comparisons to other drivers who joined the championship at young ages.
“And you talk about age. No, that’s not an excuse. Max was young. Lewis was young. There have been other young drivers. This is F1. It’s the pinnacle. You arrive in F1 ready. This is not school,” he argued.
“You’re supposed to do a few tough races and then you keep progressing like [Gabriel] Bortoleto has been doing. Antonelli has not been doing that.”
Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes
Photo by: Andrew Ferraro / LAT Images via Getty Images
After an impressive fourth-place finish from 16th in the Australian season opener, Antonelli has shown moments of talent, including a pole position at the Miami sprint race. But his inconsistency has left much to be desired.
This weekend has been a struggle, too. After a lock-up at Turn 9 ended his FP1 prematurely, he failed to secure a place in Q3, making this his third consecutive race weekend to do so.
“The cars, because the regulations are very strict, they’re not very open. So by the end of the regulations, they all kind of get in the same ballpark,” Villeneuve said. “And when there’s a big difference in cars, a driver that is not really up to speed can still get a good result. When it’s the end of regulations and it’s so tight, two tenths off the pace means a lot to the team.”
Bortoleto, on the other hand, has been mightily impressive. The Sauber rookie has shown consistent improvement despite being in a less competitive car. Scoring points in three of the last four races, he also leads his experienced team-mate Nico Hulkenberg 9-6 in qualifying.
While Antonelli’s seat at Mercedes is all but confirmed, expectations will continue to mount.
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