‘They helped him elevate’ – Grosjean on why Mercedes' support has been key for Antonelli

Romain Grosjean has explained how the support Mercedes have offered Kimi Antonelli behind the scenes has enabled the Italian to unlock a new level of performance and lead the Drivers’ Championship.

Following a rollercoaster rookie campaign, Antonelli capitalised on the team’s dominance in the early part of this season to win five of the opening six rounds and take control of the standings, leading his team mate George Russell.

Consistent top-three finishes – with the exception of a DNF in Barcelona and P15 at Silverstone – have further aided him in building a considerable advantage of 81 points over the Briton.

On the latest episode of the official F1 podcast Beyond The Grid, former Haas driver Grosjean shared his belief that Antonelli’s remarkable results come from a combination of his skill and the way in which Mercedes have regularly championed him, even at his low points.

“He's incredibly talented and an amazing race car driver, but I think what I see from the outside is how good the management and Mercedes was around him,” he said.

“Good start last year, rough second part of the season, came back and instead of digging a hole and putting him into that, they actually helped him elevate and gave him so much support that he knew the team was always going to be behind him.

“Australia didn't really start the way he wanted this year, but there wasn't any finger pointing. They rebuilt the car, they supported him and I think as a driver, when you get that level of confidence from the people you work for, that means a lot and that helps you to become who you are.”

Antonelli has enjoyed plenty of highlights this season, but arguably the most significant was his charge from the back of the grid to victory in his home race at Monza, demonstrating the calibre that could see him become the youngest-ever World Champion.

Asked whether he considers the 20-year-old to be a generational talent, Grosjean replied: “I think Kimi is up there. I think he has a way of driving the car that is very different from quite a lot of people out there.

“It works amazingly well and on top of that, it seems like no pressure can get to him, which is very impressive. By now he would have found out the pressure of leading a world championship and racing for Mercedes.

“Kimi loves living in the good chaos. He doesn't mind the noise and the agitation and the fans around him. Some people are like that and they can just take energy of that. In some other people, that takes energy from them. And I think Kimi for that is fantastic.

“I just need some time alone, and often I'm one of those. I like to be alone for a bit and turn off my brain, but I think Kimi does manage to do that in public, like talking with friends. It doesn't take him any energy. It's just like it gives him energy – like a nap could do to someone else.”

To listen to this week’s episode of Beyond The Grid, simply hit go on the audio player above or click here to listen via your preferred podcasting platform.

You can also check out a huge selection of previous episodes – spanning every decade of F1 – in our dedicated Beyond The Grid library.

You can also watch the podcast on the F1 YouTube channel.