Championship leader Antonelli reveals Federer's pressure advice ahead of Belgian Grand Prix

Kimi Antonelli, the 19-year-old Mercedes driver leading the Formula 1 drivers’ championship, has revealed that Roger Federer urged him to focus on one race at a time and control his emotions during a meeting at Wimbledon’s Royal Box last week. The encounter came days after Antonelli’s difficult British Grand Prix at Silverstone, where a dislodged wheel cover and a track limits penalty left him classified 15th.

Antonelli was asked about the meeting at the drivers’ press conference ahead of the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps, and spoke warmly of the 20-time Grand Slam champion’s openness and humility.

“It was great. It was my first time at Wimbledon,” Antonelli said. “Obviously, also knowing Jannik [Sinner], you start watching. So, it was a really cool experience, and also to be able to talk with Roger was great.”

The Italian described a wide-ranging conversation that covered Federer’s experiences on grass, his own recent races, and life beyond sport. “We chatted about my races. We chatted about when he used to play, and also about his life in general,” Antonelli explained. “I think he’s also, other than an incredible athlete, an incredible person. Very humble and very open.”

On the specific advice Federer offered regarding pressure, Antonelli was clear: “He just told me to really focus on one race at a time, just focus on what you can control, and also to control the emotions, especially the ones that can make you make mistakes. Those were the main pieces of advice.”

The timing of the conversation is notable. Antonelli arrives at Spa-Francorchamps holding a 25-point advantage over his Mercedes team-mate George Russell in the standings — a lead that makes managing the psychological weight of a title fight an increasingly relevant challenge for a driver still in his debut season.

Federer’s counsel echoes a philosophy familiar in elite sport: narrow the focus, reduce the noise, and avoid the reactive errors that pressure tends to produce. Whether Antonelli can apply it across the second half of the season — and at a circuit as demanding and unpredictable as Spa — will go some way to defining whether his early-season form translates into a first world championship.