Valtteri Bottas said he was “really proud” of Kimi Antonelli in the wake of the teenager’s maiden F1 win in Shanghai, which he followed up a week later with another victory in Suzuka.
The Mercedes man is just 19-years-old, and is the first teenager to record multiple Grand Prix victories. He is also the youngest driver to lead the Championship, with his Suzuka win putting him nine points ahead of team mate George Russell who finished fourth in Japan.
Bottas knows the pressure of driving for a Championship winning team, having spent five seasons with the Silver Arrows between 2017 and 2021 before moving to Kick Sauber, and then Cadillac. He lined up against Lewis Hamilton during his time with Mercedes, and recorded 10 wins.
He also spent last season as Mercedes’ Reserve Driver, and was in the team’s garage with Antonelli, watching the then 18-year-old take the first steps in his F1 career.
“I was really happy to see that, Kimi getting his first win. I think it was just a matter of time with the machinery they have this year, and he just had a solid weekend – very good Qualifying, very good race, and got the win,” Bottas said.
“He’s definitely grown a lot – he’s still very young and gaining experience from every weekend, but I was always expecting him to kind of make a step from year one to year two, and it seems like he has been able to do that so it’s really good to see.”
Antonelli’s rookie season was one of highs and lows – from the Sprint pole in Miami and a maiden podium in Canada, to multiple crashes and a difficult run of form throughout the European chunk of the season.
He failed to score in six of seven Grands Prix around that Canadian podium, unable to really help team mate Russell in the Constructors’ battle for Mercedes.
But the Italian found his form late in the season to take back-to-back podiums in Brazil and Las Vegas, which helped the Silver Arrows finish second in the end behind McLaren.
Antonelli’s second season has started much more positively, the teenager backing up Russell’s win in Australia with a P2 finish, before going on to win the next two races – finishing fifth in the China Sprint too.
And while he made an error in final in practice in Melbourne, crashing out after pushing too hard, the way he bounced back from that moment showed plenty of grit, resolve and maturity. He also managed to hold his nerve in Japan, despite a poor start dropping him from pole position to sixth on the opening lap.
Bottas revealed he sent Antonelli a message of congratulations, before adding that he was “really proud” of the youngster, who has impressed plenty in the paddock with how he has started the 2026 season.
.webp?ssl=1 "Lewis Hamilton on his all-important Ferrari podium and getting his mojo back in 2026")
