Kimi Antonelli has revealed that he was struggling for confidence throughout his rookie season due to the crash he suffered on his F1 debut in 2024.
The Italian was handed an FP1 outing in anticipation of his debut season the following year, with the announcement of his promotion coming one day after his practice debut.
However, the outing did not go to plan, as just 10 minutes into the session, Antonelli spun into the barrier at high speed.
Antonelli endured a mixed rookie campaign, as although he experienced some highs with a handful of podium finishes, his form took a serious dip midway through as he endured a run of points-less results.
The 20-year-old has admitted that he was carrying the weight of low confidence, which took a hit when he crashed at Monza.
"Last year I was more stuck on many occasions because I still had memories from Monza 2024," Antonelli told media including RacingNews365.
"Especially after the difficult period, I just felt I couldn't afford any mistakes and so on. So I was stuck there."
Antonelli 'confidence' concerns in Baku felt familar
Two years later, Antonelli is looking well on his way to securing his maiden F1 title in just his second season in the sport.
The 20-year-old has enjoyed various trips to the top step of the podium, however, one of his more difficult events occurred in Baku last month, when he was forced into a recovery drive after crashing in qualifying.
Having declared that he was forced to drive under the limit during the race, he stated it reminded him of the struggles he faced in 2025.
"In Baku, it was a conscious decision, but the reason why I didn't like Baku was because it actually felt like last year, where I just couldn't push because I didn't have much confidence," he said.
"Even though it was a conscious decision, it wasn't exactly the same as last year, but it felt similar.
"It was still a very good learning.
"The good thing about it is that in Baku, I could understand that if there were another occasion where I need to drive under the limit, I know by how much I need to do it.
"I know how to do it consciously because I did it in Baku."
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