Kimi Antonelli and Peter ‘Bono’ Bonnington: A Promising Partnership in Formula 1

In his debut season with Mercedes, the promising young Italian driver Kimi Antonelli is deeply appreciative of his partnership with experienced race engineer Peter ‘Bono’ Bonnington. With a rich history of working with some of the greatest drivers in F1, including Lewis Hamilton and Michael Schumacher, Bono brings nearly two decades of expertise to Antonelli’s disposal.

A Legacy of Success: Bono’s Career Highlights

Beginning his career as a data engineer for Jordan Grand Prix in 2004, Bono eventually moved to Brawn GP to work with Jenson Button during his championship-winning season under Andrew Shovlin. However, it was Mercedes that saw him work alongside legends like Schumacher and Hamilton. He became Schumacher’s race engineer in 2011, and at the end of 2012, he was replaced by Hamilton, with the duo amassing six world championships over their 12-year partnership. Now serving as Head of Race Engineering at , Bono is guiding Antonelli towards a similarly successful pairing.

Speaking during the Chinese Grand Prix weekend, Antonelli expressed his gratitude for working with such an experienced individual. “I think having someone like Bono is amazing,” he said. “It’s a great privilege because he has worked with two of the best drivers in the history of Formula 1 – he worked with Michael and then he worked with Lewis for so many years.“So having someone with so much knowledge and experience, it really helps you because obviously I’ve so many new scenarios that I will have to go through, so many new scenarios that I will have to face, so many new things that I will have to learn, and having someone like him that has so much experience, definitely it’s really helpful because it can really guide you in every situation, and so I feel really lucky to have someone like him.”

Antonelli’s rookie campaign started off strong, with him already earning six points on the standings after finishing fourth in Australia and sixth in China, despite sustaining damage to his car’s floor in the latter race. This early success has given the Mercedes driver confidence as he prepares for the third race weekend of the season in Japan.

I’m bringing some Italian culture into this,” Antonelli said. “Also, I’m a guy who likes to hug people. As an Italian, we’re very touchy. We’re very emotional. So I’m bringing a bit of that, not too much of course because we’re still in a professional environment, but I’m getting along very well with him.