Bonnington sees room for Antonelli to grow after first F1 title

After Kimi Antonelli won his first Formula 1 title in his second season, race engineer Peter Bonnington says the champion still has room to grow. Bonnington is not tempering expectations: “Just give him time,” he says. The next challenge, in his view, is sustaining Antonelli’s motivation and drive.

Antonelli’s championship is Bonnington’s seventh as a race engineer, after six he celebrated with Lewis Hamilton. Bonnington says this title feels especially special because a new generation within Mercedes is experiencing a championship for the first time.

Bonnington’s praise goes beyond Antonelli’s driving. He highlights the Italian’s resilience on difficult days and humility on good ones, as well as his ability to put lessons into practice quickly. The engineer says Antonelli rarely makes the same mistake twice.

Bonnington says the team learns from setbacks and uses those moments to improve. For him, “a true champion is someone who can sustain success.”