Kimi Antonelli Reveals Roger Federer’s Advice

Mercedes driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli, currently ranked number one in the Formula 1 world standings, and former tennis star Roger Federer spoke at length during the latest edition of the Wimbledon tournament. The two sat together in the Royal Box at the All England Club, watching the matches on Center Court.

Speaking to the ATP Tour, the Bologna-born driver revealed the advice “King Roger” gave him on how to become even stronger: “It was a fantastic chat; we talked about the pressure during a race. He told me to really focus on one race at a time—to focus only on what I can control.”

“You have to control your emotions, especially the ones that can lead to making mistakes. That was Roger’s main piece of advice,” said Antonelli, who leads the standings by 50 points over Lewis Hamilton.

Antonelli’s teammate, George Russell, revealed that he has been working with a sports psychologist since 2020 to better handle the challenges of the season: “The main goal is to help me perform at my best, but also to support the team, manage the pressure of a race weekend more effectively, and channel my energy throughout the season,” explained the British driver, who trails his teammate by 59 points in the standings.

Former Colombian driver Juan Pablo Montoya warned the 19-year-old from Bologna not to let himself get carried away by competitive fervor: “Will he become world champion? They need to prevent him from acting like a young, aggressive driver and getting caught up in the heat of the race.” Gerhard Berger echoed this sentiment, drawing a parallel with what happened last season: “Last year, at the start, it looked like Oscar Piastri was going to beat Lando Norris, but Norris turned the tables and won the championship. In Formula 1, anything is possible. And it will remain that way until the very end.”