Kimi Antonelli offers bleak verdict over F1 rookie season

Kimi Antonelli has acknowledged he has endured “too many” zero-point races in the opening half of his rookie season.

The Italian joined Mercedes this year, entrusted with the high-pressure responsibility of replacing seven-time F1 champion Lewis Hamilton. 

The 18-year-old rookie enjoyed a consistent run of point-scoring results in the opening six races; however, the last six grands prix have resulted in five non-finishes due to mechanical woes and in-race collisions.

That torrid streak was punctuated by a maiden podium in Canada, where Antonelli joined team-mate George Russell in the top three following the Briton's victory.

Aside from that highlight, Antonelli has conceded it has been a challenging campaign for him.

“I‘m not super happy, to be honest,” Antonelli told the media, including RacingNews365. “Too many zeros scored.

"After Canada. I've been struggling to find some positives, to be honest. It feels like nothing is really working our way.”

With F1 in a period of two weeks off heading into the Belgian Grand Prix, Antonelli is using the break to readjust, with the hope of coming back stronger in the second half.

“I just need to focus, reset and try to find the light at the end of the tunnel,” he added. “Because definitely, I'm not going through a nice moment.

“I’ll take some days off just to reset, and then just try to come back fresh at Spa.

“It’s going to be a sprint weekend, so it’s going to be important to be on it from FP1.”