© Steve Etherington for Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix Ltd.
Kimi Antonelli has attended the 2025 Australian Grand Prix Thursday Drivers’ Press Conference. Here is the full transcript!
Q: Thanks, Carlos. Enjoy the weekend. Good luck. Kimi, coming to you—your first Grand Prix weekend. You must have dreamt about this moment many times. How do you feel now that it’s a reality?
Andrea Kimi ANTONELLI: Well, first of all, hello, everyone. Yeah, it’s amazing. Obviously, it’s a dream coming true. I’ve been waiting for this moment my whole life. The winter felt pretty long, I’m not going to lie, but yeah, I’m super happy to be here. I think it’s a special place to do my first Grand Prix, and I’m really looking forward to seeing how we perform once we hit the track.
Q: What goals have you set yourself for the weekend?
AKA: Well, it’s hard to say. The thing is, I don’t know what to expect because it’s my first Grand Prix.
I don’t want to set anything too high—I just want to have a clean weekend, find a nice rhythm in order to be able to build up from there.
Q: Does it help that you raced here in Formula 2?
AKA: Yeah, of course. It definitely helps because I know the track, so I don’t have to learn it. You understand the track, where you can overtake, where you can defend best. So definitely, F2 was a good help last year.
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QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR
Q: (Nelson Valkenburg – Viaplay) For all three of you—given that you’re in new circumstances and ahead of a monumental season, what would define a successful season for you? What would make you feel like you’ve accomplished your mission?
AKA: Well, for me, you know, I will have so much to learn during the season. Obviously, there’s so many new scenarios I need to experience. But of course, I think it will be a good season you know, trying to maximise every result, especially in that moment, maximising the best result. And then, of course, keep learning. I mean every weekend keep learning, keep developing, but, yeah, the mindset is always the same. I mean as a natural racing driver, you go on track and try to be the fastest and win but the same time I’m pretty realistic about the situation, and the level is extremely high, but that’s what’s amazing about this sport and about racing in Formula 1. So definitely, I’m looking forward to see how I get on during the season, but definitely maximising the result every time will be good goal.
Q: (Margot Laffite – Canal+) Question for Kimi. Can you talk us through your feelings about having been Lewis’s teammate, If we can say, last year, and having him as an opponent on track this year?
AKA: I mean, first of all, if it feels pretty surreal to be able to raise, you know, with someone such as Louis. I mean, I’ve been growing up, and also, once I joined the Mercedes, you know, been looking at him, and, you know, it’s been incredible successful. So it feels kind of weird that I’m going be sharing the track with him, but also with Carlos, with all the drivers at the end of the day, because you know when, when you’re used to see them on TV, and then finally you’re able to share the track with them, it is an incredible feeling. And yeah, last year, I mean, I’ve been doing some track side, end of season, and being starting to work with the team, and, you know, Lewis has always been nice to me, and also giving me some advice. And then also, I think you wrote a message, in the drivers’ room, so I’m going be able to see it pretty soon. But, yeah, it’s always been really nice to me, and I’m really, really grateful for that, because it shows that, you know, it’s not only a great driver, but also a great person.
Source: FIA.com
