Kimi Antonelli believes that his experiences from his rookie season in Formula 1 have helped him to feel “stronger” and “more in control” so far in 2026, with the Mercedes driver aiming to build on this further when the season resumes in Miami.
During the opening three rounds of Antonelli’s sophomore campaign, the Italian has become the sport’s youngest-ever championship leader after claiming back-to-back victories in China and Japan, giving him a nine-point advantage over team mate George Russell.
Ahead of the upcoming fourth round on calendar – the Miami Grand Prix, taking place on the weekend of May 1-3 – Antonelli spoke to a select group of media, including F1.com, about how he has spent the April break, his goal going forward, and whether the dynamic between himself and Russell has changed since finding themselves in a potential title fight.
How rookie season has played ‘massive role’ in feeling ‘more in control’
After embarking on his maiden season in F1 with Mercedes last year, Antonelli now has experience of most tracks on the calendar as he continues on into his second campaign.
As such, when asked if this has helped him to feel better prepared this time around – and if it brings confidence for the circuits where he faced some difficult weekends in 2025 – the 19-year-old answered: “I think, overall, I feel stronger.
“I feel more in control of the situation. Obviously, having done all the tracks last year, definitely it’s helping this year so far. Also, having done a race weekend also helps because I know better what to expect.
“I know better how to move around, how to manage myself during the weekend. Definitely, the experience of last year is playing a massive role into this year so far. I just feel more relaxed, more confident. For sure, this might even help in those tracks where last year I struggled a lot.”
Antonelli admits that, with the season getting off to a “better start than what we all anticipated and hoped for, at least on my side”, the expectations are “automatically a bit different now”.
“At the end of the day, I still try to keep the same mindset as I had in the previous three races,” he explains. “Just trying to keep focusing on what I have to do, on the goal, and just trying to put myself in the best position as possible to then achieve a great result.
“What I don’t want to do is, now that we’re in a good position, start to think about the final result or a long-term result. I just really want to focus on the present and how I can maximise every time I go in the car in order to get the best result, focusing on the process.
“Then, little by little, trying to raise the bar, raise the game. Obviously, George is super strong and competitors will get closer. I just need to keep doing what I’m doing, but just trying to raise the bar little by little.”
‘Making the best’ out of April break and goal for Miami
The F1 teams and drivers have faced a five-week break in the calendar during the month of April but Antonelli was keen to keep his focus from the start, admitting that one of the first things he did after returning home from Japan was to “jump on my simulator” at home.
“I’m not going to lie, the break on one side has been good, but now it starts to feel a bit too long, to be fair,” the Italian explained. “I just really want to go back on track.
“I did a Pirelli tyre test a couple of days ago. I also did some GT driving. I’ve been trying to stay active during this break because it was good to have a bit of time to reflect on the first three races, what has happened, trying to also realise the win, in general everything that has happened.
“Also, it was a good time to reflect on why the weekends went well, what I did well and where I could have done a little bit better. I’m not going to lie, I’ve been and I’m still trying to do so, to make the best out of it.
“I’m training and pushing quite a lot in the training just to be as fit as possible because then, obviously, it’s going to be quite a lot, especially at the end of the year.
“We will have a lot of triple headers, so it’s going to be important as well on the physical side to make the best out of this break, to recharge the batteries and also to get stronger on the physical side, in order to be able to maintain a really good level during the whole season.
“It starts to feel very long and I really miss racing, but I’ve been trying to make the best out of it, and actually it’s been on one side really useful.”
The end of the break is now in sight, and Antonelli is clear on what his target will be when the action gets back underway.
“The goal ready for Miami is to be back from where we left in Japan, or even be back even stronger from where we left,” he said.
Being a ‘challenger’ to Russell and maintaining ‘strong’ relationship
As things stand, Antonelli and Russell lead the way in the Drivers’ Championship. Quizzed on whether the dynamic between them has changed at all – or if he now feels like more of an equal challenger to his team mate rather than a young driver learning from him – Antonelli responded: “I think the relationship is very strong and it hasn’t changed.
“There’s a lot of respect between us, and we’ve been working very well so far. There’s a very good dynamic in the team. Of course, I feel like I can be a challenger and that’s what I’m here for. I want to race to win, and I want to race to win races and championships, so that’s my goal.
“Definitely this year is a massive opportunity for all of us, and especially also for me and George because we have a very strong car. Both of us, we don’t want to waste this opportunity, so we’re going to do our best.
“But we’re also very aware that it’s very important to keep a good dynamic in the team, and that’s what we’re doing because, of course, we have our own goals, which is to win and to be the best.
“But at the same time, we want to help the team in the best way as possible to achieve also their goal, which is to win the Constructors’ Championship. I believe that our relationship is strong and will be strong for the rest of the year.”
