Peter Bonnington discloses the "serious discussion" that changed the course of Kimi Antonelli's F1 journey.

"We had a very serious conversation at the conclusion of the European season. Then we moved back to the flyaway races, and suddenly he was like, ‘Why didn’t you give me a wake-up call sooner?’ So, yes, it was challenging times, but what doesn’t break you makes you stronger, and he really did recover from those setbacks."

While his teammate George Russell began the 2026 season as a strong contender for the title, Antonelli took the championship lead after securing consecutive victories at the Chinese and Japanese Grands Prix in the third round.

Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes

Despite many believing that the pressure of the title would overwhelm him, the 20-year-old has continued to build on his strengths, having won nine Grands Prix this season alone.

Bonnington, who has previously collaborated with seven-time champions Lewis Hamilton and Michael Schumacher, noted that managing a driver is as crucial to his role as managing the car itself.

"People have often questioned, especially in the past, 'Why don’t you have a sports psychologist working with drivers?' and you think, well, that’s essentially part of what the race engineer does. Half of the job is taking care of the car, the other half is ensuring the driver stays content.

"So yes, he’s an easy person to keep satisfied. It’s a joy to work with him, but also to guide him through the highs and lows, particularly last year. It’s simply part of the role. Some excel at it more than others."