{"id":187707,"date":"2025-06-16T01:06:15","date_gmt":"2025-06-16T01:06:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/187707\/"},"modified":"2025-06-16T01:06:15","modified_gmt":"2025-06-16T01:06:15","slug":"kimi-antonelli-takes-first-f1-podium-at-canadian-gp","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/187707\/","title":{"rendered":"Kimi Antonelli takes first F1 podium at Canadian GP"},"content":{"rendered":"

Andrea Kimi Antonelli<\/a> was left with goosebumps after taking his maiden Formula 1 podium at the Canadian Grand Prix on Sunday.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The 18-year-old rookie finished third at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve with a mature drive, despite being pressed by championship leader Oscar Piastri<\/a> for much of the latter stages.<\/p>\n

Antonelli, who joined race winner and team-mate George Russell<\/a> on the podium, plus Max Verstappen<\/a>, has impressed with numerous strong performances this year – but Montreal was his best yet.<\/p>\n

When asked about the podium, Antonelli said: \u201cIt meant a lot, especially after a difficult triple-header on my side. It definitely took some confidence away, but this was the best way to bounce back.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“I was just hoping for the race to finish, to be honest. I was even looking at the screen, counting the laps because it was very stressful.<\/p>\n

“The last few laps were a struggle, especially seeing Oscar getting closer and closer in the DRS range. At one point, he even tried to attempt the overtake in Turn 1. It took a lot of effort.<\/p>\n

\"Andrea <\/p>\n

Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes<\/p>\n

Photo by: Andy Hone \/ Motorsport Images<\/p>\n

“I’m still aware there’s a lot of work to do, especially when it comes to qualifying – trying to be quicker at the beginning of the session. But we’re on a good path.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe team is doing a great job. Also, with George, he’s helping me to push myself even further.<\/p>\n

“There’s a really good dynamic in the team. Hopefully, we can carry this momentum into the next few races.\u201d<\/p>\n

This podium comes just 10 grands prix into Antonelli\u2019s F1 career, having replaced Lewis Hamilton<\/a> at the start of the year.\u00a0<\/p>\n

When asked how it felt to stand on the podium, the Italian added: \u201cIt was much better than what I imagined. Hearing the crowd while walking onto the podium – I had massive goosebumps.<\/p>\n

“That is definitely a moment I will remember for a very long time. It gives you a boost, results like this, and this feeling, you can’t buy. It’s an amazing feeling and you just want more.<\/p>\n

\"George <\/p>\n

George Russell, Mercedes, Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes<\/p>\n

Photo by: James Sutton \/ Motorsport Images via Getty Images<\/p>\n

\u201cI think the goal now is to try to keep the same momentum and try to achieve more podiums – and hopefully, maybe the first win. You never know.\u201d<\/p>\n

Antonelli paid tribute to Russell\u2019s contribution in helping him step up to F1, while also saying he takes inspiration from Verstappen as the world champion also joined the series as a teenager in 2015.<\/p>\n

\u201cRacing in F1 with the 19 other best drivers on the grid gives you a lot of motivation,\u201d he said. \u201cHaving the chance to race at your best and show what you’re capable of is a great boost.<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course, seeing what Max has done over the years – especially in his rookie years – was quite astonishing. So definitely he’s a model who I get inspired by.<\/p>\n

“But at the end, racing against the best is a great chance. And having someone like George as a team-mate really helps you improve.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt’s also down to George – this result – because he has helped me during this first part of the season to develop and push myself even further.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Max <\/p>\n

Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing, Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes<\/p>\n

Photo by: James Sutton \/ Motorsport Images via Getty Images<\/p>\n

Verstappen, who was just 17-years-old when he contested his first F1 session in FP1 at the 2014 Japanese Grand Prix, says Antonelli has a bright future ahead of him.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor me, it’s not a surprise,\u201d said the reigning, four-time world champion. \u201cI knew Kimi coming up through the karting ranks – people were already saying great things. So I was keeping an eye on him.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat’s impressive is he’s naturally quick. What I like is his level-headed, calm approach. Those are great qualities to have. I was never in doubt that the podium would come this year.<\/p>\n

“I’m very happy that it happened for him. It gives you more confidence. It’s a nice boost. And it will only get better.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou’re in your rookie season – there are so many things that will come at you. You learn from the weaker races, you learn from the good ones. In the coming years, for sure, we’ll see a lot more of Kimi.\u201d<\/p>\n

Photos from Canadian GP – Race<\/p>\n

Read Also:<\/p>\n

In this article<\/p>\n

Ben Hunt\n<\/p>\n

Formula 1\n<\/p>\n

Andrea Kimi Antonelli\n<\/p>\n

Mercedes\n<\/p>\n

Be the first to know and subscribe for real-time news email updates on these topics<\/p>\n

Subscribe to news alerts<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Andrea Kimi Antonelli was left with goosebumps after taking his maiden Formula 1 podium at the Canadian Grand…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":187708,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4103],"tags":[13328,70939,4199,72727,707,4200,4859,79,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-187707","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-f1","8":"tag-andrea-kimi-antonelli","9":"tag-canadian-gp","10":"tag-f1","11":"tag-f1-canadian-grand-prix","12":"tag-formula-1","13":"tag-formula1","14":"tag-mercedes","15":"tag-sports","16":"tag-uk","17":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/114690364986880479","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/187707","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=187707"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/187707\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/187708"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=187707"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=187707"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=187707"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}