Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli delivered one of his strongest showings in recent weeks during Friday’s Free Practice 2 (FP2) at the 2025 F1 Canadian GP. The Italian rookie improved from 13th in FP1 to finish third in the second session, marking a significant step forward after challenging outings in Imola and Monaco.
Mercedes, whose car has been sensitive to tyre temperatures, appeared more at ease at Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve. With conditions favouring colder tyres, Antonelli was able to extract more from his package, bringing much-needed confidence ahead of Saturday’s Qualifying.
“A decent day” at a “pretty fun” track
Antonelli was notably upbeat about his experience on the Montreal track at the 2025 F1 Canadian GP, which poses a unique challenge to drivers due to its layout and grip levels. He also stated that he was pleased to have improved his understanding of the C6 tyre, which he noted had been a challenge for him over the recent European triple-header.
“It was a good day, a decent day to be honest. This track is pretty fun, it’s not easy but so far I’ve been enjoying it quite a lot. I’m pretty happy because I’m understanding more and more the C6, which was the main point for me after the two difficult weekends in Imola and Monaco.”
Mercedes “pushing to improve” ahead of Qualifying
In addition to his improved understanding of the C6 tyre, Antonelli believes that Mercedes has made overall progress. However, while confident, he emphasised the need for Mercedes to continue to improve ahead of Saturday’s Qualifying at he 2025 F1 Canadian GP.
“The progress has been there – obviously there’s still quite a bit of work to do but a single lap felt pretty okay, and then the long run felt good as well. We’ll try to keep pushing in order to improve for tomorrow.”
Despite the needed improvements, Antonelli believes that he and Mercedes are in a good place with the W16. While he recognises the competition that he will face on both Saturday and Sunday, he remains focused on executing to the best of his ability:
“The car felt strong today and the pace was definitely there. [The conditions] help everybody a bit, but for us the car is definitely very connected. I’ll do my best to try and be up there and to put on a fight – that’s definitely the goal. We’ll see, but I’m really trying to build the right confidence in order to be ready for Qualifying.”
