Nico Rosberg tells Kimi Antonelli he needs consistency to “secure” F1 future

2016 F1 world champion Nico Rosberg believes Kimi Antonelli’s future at Mercedes is only “secure” if he delivers more consistent performances.

Antonelli’s rookie year has been mixed.

The Italian scored his maiden F1 podium finish at the Canadian Grand Prix, finishing third.

However, since then, Antonelli has scored points just once.

Mercedes have continued to back Antonelli despite his disappointing run of results.

Mercedes haven’t confirmed their driver line-up for 2026, but Toto Wolff has insisted Antonelli will get another year alongside George Russell.

Speaking after qualifying at Monza, Rosberg was pleased to see Antonelli bounce back from a Friday practice off to qualify just behind Russell.

“Really happy for him, really good catch up from the mess up in second free practice and to be so close to George, this is good,” Rosberg said.

“That’s where he needs to be. These are moments he needs to rebuild that confidence, get that positive momentum going,he can do it, he’s got the talent, and it’s all up in his head.

Antonelli not “secure”

While Kimi Antonelli is set to remain at Mercedes for 2026, Rosberg feels that he still needs to do more to keep his seat long term.

Mercedes will likely be a title contender in 2026, with the new regulations coming into play.

Mercedes won’t be able to afford having just one driver performing, particularly if they want to win the constructors' championship.

Wolff will likely retain interest in signing Max Verstappen for 2027.

“Everybody wants him to do well enough to retain the seat, the whole team wants him to continue, but at the moment, I wouldn’t call it secure,” Rosberg added.

“Of course, in terms of communication, it’s confirmed, but he does need to deliver more consistently for it to be secured because in F1, it’s quite a harsh world, unfortunately.”