Kimi Antonelli admits “there’s a lot of work to do” despite maiden F1 podium in Canada

Kimi Antonelli has stressed the need to improve despite securing his maiden F1 podium at the Canadian Grand Prix.

Antonelli finished third at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve on Sunday, giving Mercedes their first double-podium finish of the year.

The Italian has become the third-youngest podium finisher in F1 history, with Max Verstappen and Lance Stroll slightly younger when they finished in the top three for the first time.

Antonelli drove a mature race to finish third, overtaking Oscar Piastri on the opening lap.

Antonelli pressured Verstappen at various stages - but Red Bull covered him off with two timely pit stops.

The 18-year-old resisted pressure from the McLaren duo in the latter stages.

Speaking in the FIA press conference after the race, Antonelli reflected on his first podium finish.

“I mean, 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,” Antonelli said.

“The team is doing a great job. Also, with George, he’s helping me to push myself even further. There’s a really good dynamic in the team. Hopefully, we can carry this momentum into the next few races.”

Antonelli conceded that the closing laps were “stressful” due to the pressure from Piastri behind.

“I was just hoping for the race to finish, to be honest,” he added. “I was even looking at the screen counting the laps because it was very stressful. In the last stint, I pushed a bit too hard behind Max and eventually degraded the front left.

“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 one. It took a lot of effort.”

First F1 podium “better than I imagined”

Antonelli’s first podium was special, particularly as his father, Marco Antonelli, was present.

The Canadian crowd were also heard chanting “Kimi” when he spoke to Nico Rosberg in parc ferme after the race.

“Well, it was much better than what I imagined,” Antonelli explained. “Hearing the crowd while walking onto the podium, I had massive goosebumps. 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 this feeling. It’s an amazing feeling and you just want more. I 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 in the future.”