Mercedes reveals $20M worth trump card that helped Kimi Antonelli at the F1 Japanese GP 

Mercedes man Bradley Lord credited Valtteri Bottas as one of the key members of the team who helped Kimi Antonelli in his start to life in F1, especially in Japan. The young Italian prodigy was struggling throughout the race weekend in Suzuka, and it was primarily because Antonelli was unable to switch on the tires in the first sector.

Compared to teammate George Russell, Kimi Antonelli struggled to keep up in his Mercedes, and it was obvious on the timesheets every time both drivers pushed for a lap time. Valtteri Bottas, worth $20M (via CelebrityNetWorth) on his part, is the last Mercedes winner at Suzuka, who won in 2019. Since then, the team has not had a driver win the race at this circuit.

The Finnish driver holds valuable experience around Suzuka, and according to Kimi Antonelli, his struggles were primarily in sector 1, which cost him.

Talking to the media, including Pitdebrief, Mercedes' Bradley Lord credited Valtteri Bottas and his inputs that helped.

“So, from the off in Melbourne, even to some extent in testing as well, he’s (Bottas) just been offering bits of advice, also sensitive to when a driver is receptive to advice and when they’re not."

Further highlighting Bottas playing a role in mentoring the young Italian with his experience, Lord said:

“And then particularly for here, you know, just conscious that Kimi had missed the Super Formula test that he was looking to do at the end of last year and hadn’t been here before. He’s just worked with him and sat down on Thursday and then again before qualifying as well. Just giving him some of his observations, what he could see from the onboards and his knowledge of the circuit."

It wasn't until the final qualifying lap in Q3 that Kimi Antonelli nailed everything and managed to rescue his weekend.

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Valtteri Bottas embracing the role at Mercedes

After being one of the drivers on the grid, the role of just being a reserve driver is a step that is hard to take. Valtteri Bottas has been on the grid for more than a decade now. Commenting on the Finnish driver's current role, Bradley Lord said that while the decision was admittedly tough for the former Mercedes driver, he seems to be embracing it.

“I mean the step Valtteri’s made this year is not an easy one for any driver. And we were sort of chatting in Melbourne, kind of saying, ‘you know, how is it?’ And he’s like, ‘it’s weird, you know, I want to be out there’. But the way he’s approached the opportunity he has to add value and strengthen the team has been really impressive."

Mercedes has gotten off to a modest start this season. While the car is not at the sharp end and fighting for wins, it's still got a balanced platform, which seems to be a lot more consistent and easier to drive.