Bottas plays big brother with Antonelli at Mercedes: "He helped me a lot"

When experience guides youth. At Mercedes, a certain synergy is formed between the two main drivers and the reserve driver, Valtteri Bottas. For the first time since 2013, the Finn is forced to live through a season of Formula 1 on the sidelines, from the German team's garage. However, the man with 246 Grands Prix and 10 victories is not content to be a mere spectator. On the contrary: at 35 years old, Valtteri Bottas is a valuable asset for the Silver Arrows and his experience is one of the key elements in the brand with the Star's good start to the season.

The two drivers of the German team – George Russell and especially Andrea Kimi Antonelli – can benefit from Valtteri Bottas' outside perspective to guide them during race weekends. And this translates into good performances on track: while the Briton has shown exemplary consistency with four top-five finishes and three podiums in four Grands Prix, the Italian has surprised at the start of the season with 5 points scored and a 30th place in the championship (ahead of Lewis Hamilton, please) for his first four performances. A great start to his career where the contribution of the Finnish reservist is not negligible, according to the 18-year-old rookie.

Bottas – Antonelli, advice and results

“I’m never going to refuse or not listen to advice. I’m just a young boy coming into the world of F1 and I still have a lot to learn. So [Valtteri Bottas] has been extremely helpful. At Suzuka, he helped me a lot, said Andrea Kimi Antonelli ahead of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, in Jeddah. With him, I was able to switch my weekend between practice and qualifying, and then the race. At Suzuka, I really struggled with the warm-up [of the tires]. So he helped me a lot by explaining the best things to do during warm-up to get the best out of the tire, to have the tires ready for the flying lap. [His advice] wasn't so much about driving, but more about the little details that can make the difference on the track."

In the first four races, Andrea Kimi Antonelli broke several youth records (youngest driver to lead a Grand Prix, youngest driver to set a fastest lap, etc.) and became the first rookie to finish his first three Grands Prix in the points since Lewis Hamilton in 2007. And even though he was caught out by the safety car in Bahrain and finished outside the top 10 after qualifying in 4th place the day before, the Bologna native surprised everyone with his performance and maturity on track. The young rookie made few mistakes and showed solid performance in the race, a rather impressive debut for his age and relative inexperience. Valtteri Bottas made up for this inexperience with his valuable advice and his twelve-year F1 career. The perfect synergy?

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