Kimi Antonelli reveals relief as major F1 phase ends

Kimi Antonelli has expressed understandable relief that the European nightmare he has suffered with Mercedes this season is finally over.

Antonelli made a strong start to his rookie campaign this year with the team as the replacement for seven-time F1 champion Lewis Hamilton, scoring solid points in five of the first six grands prix.

But his season crumbled as soon as the F1 campaign returned to its traditional heartland, where Antonelli's previous experience from the junior formulas should have stood him in good stead.

Over the nine races, the 19-year-old amassed a paltry three points, with his best finish his most recent on Sunday in the Italian Grand Prix in Monza, where he was ninth.

Bizarrely, the only bright spot during that run was remarkably on another flyaway with his season's best performance in Canada where he was third.

Speaking to the media, and asked by RacingNews365 whether there was any sense of relief the European races were over, and with the return to the flyaways he could finish the season like he started it, Antonelli replied: "I really hope for that.

"Definitely, the European season has been very difficult, not ideal. Hopefully, we can now have a good trend, like at the start of the season. I'm really looking forward to that.

"I'm honestly really happy that this European season is finished."

Antonelli needing to find rhythm

Even at Monza, where he qualified a respectable seventh before starting sixth due to a penalty for Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton, trouble unfolded at the very beginning.

Antonelli confirmed he sustained wheel spin off the line, resulting in him being on the back foot into the first chicane from which he emerged in 10th.

Reflecting on his overall performance across the weekend and where he needs to improve in the flyaways, which start with next weekend's Azerbaijan GP.

"I'm happier about the quali pace, which was strong. I was much closer to George as well," said Antonelli. "It's just a shame with the start that I made a mistake and lost a lot of places. I just need to work on that and try to do better in Baku.

"But I felt much more at ease with everything and managing everything. It was still not an easy race, but now this European part of the season is finished, we go again out of Europe, so hopefully we can get a nice rhythm again and get some good points overall."