Antonelli: I Was Chosen to Replace Hamilton Even Before I Raced in Formula 2

"I was at Silverstone testing a Formula 3 car to learn the track because I was going to race there in Formula 2," Antonelli recounted. "And I remember at the end of the day, Toto called me into his office. Even then, I was a bit confused because I thought, 'This doesn't happen often, you know?'"So, I went into his office. Of course, Toto was there, and so was Rossa [Herrero Venegas, Senior PR Manager] – she's the one who helps me during race weekends."Toto, first of all, doesn't waste any time – he got straight to the point. This was even before Lewis was announced at Ferrari."He said, 'Look, Lewis is going to Ferrari, and we were thinking of putting you in the car for next year.' And I'm thinking, 'Wow!' My eyes were wide open."I said to myself, 'Are you serious?' because I hadn't even started the F2 season. I still had so much to prove – so much to show that I could earn that spot. And Toto was already talking about it!"I said, 'Okay.' And he continued, 'Well, if an opportunity arises, will you be ready?' And I replied, 'Yes, I mean, I have to be ready.' But, of course, after that, the team also helped me because they had me doing tests with a Formula 1 car," the Italian added.

Even then, he found it hard to believe. "I was actually extremely happy, but at the same time, it was such a huge thing for me that it took me a while to realize what had just happened," Antonelli added. "And I remember lying on a sun lounger on the terrace and just staring at the sky, because I was trying to process what had occurred."

Asked how he copes with the pressure of expectations and the faith people have in him, Antonelli responded: "Mostly last year I felt it, because obviously I had a good start to the season. Then I had a tough period, the European season, where I really struggled."And at that point, I let the pressure destroy me during that period, because I felt like I was letting down so many people who believed in me. Of course, especially Toto, because he was the main one who made the decision. And obviously, I wasn't feeling good during that period, you know, I wasn't performing well."But then I had a big meeting with the team after the European season, and that allowed me to reset and just start over. I slowly found my way back and then had a good second half of the season."The ability to overcome those difficult moments gave me confidence before this year, and also made me learn a lot about myself, not just as a driver, but as a person."In that European season, probably, most of the things I was doing didn't help me at all."I learned how my body reacts in those moments, how my brain reacts, what helps me get back to the right focus and the right mindset. I understood what helps me maintain my energy at 100% throughout the weekend and how to deal with the events, with the driving and everything else. So I learned a lot about myself, as well as how to respond to difficult moments."

Asked how steep the learning curve had been and how overwhelming it all was, Antonelli admitted: "Extremely. I was so exhausted at the end of the year."Obviously, the team did an incredible job trying to protect me. But the learning curve – I think I learned much more than if I had gone to a smaller team. I felt that the learning curve was incredible. I felt like I had done three years at once. And it was overwhelming, physically and mentally, because I accumulated so much new experience."Also, when you do a full Formula 1 season for the first time, you don't know where you're going and what you're going to encounter. Because, of course, in the year before Formula 1, I had watched the races closely, but obviously it's not the same. When I was watching, I was on the sidelines, I wasn't on the track doing the work."So I felt very overwhelmed at the end of the year. It was good to have a small break so I could analyze and reflect on the season, to understand what the good things were and why, and also why some things didn't work out the right way."