Kimi Antonelli is enjoying a strong start to the 2026 Formula 1 season and leads the championship, but has received a direct warning from Robert Kubica. The former F1 driver praised the young Italian’s talent, but criticized his social media activity and called for total focus on the title fight.
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Antonelli showed significant evolution compared to last year and has won two of the three races held so far. The performance took the Italian driver to the championship lead for the first time in his career, after the Suzuka round.
Even with this positive momentum, Kubica believes the young driver needs to avoid off-track distractions. In an interview with SportMediaset, the Pole highlighted that the focus must be exclusively on the championship battle: “I hope he focuses only on driving, because sometimes I see him doing a lot of silly things on Instagram. Obviously today this brings a lot of attention, but at this moment he cannot waste energy, he needs to focus on a single goal, which is to fight for and win the world championship,” he stated.
Kubica also showed confidence in Antonelli’s potential to win the title as early as 2026. The former driver stated that he sees no reason to doubt the young Italian’s ability, highlighting the natural pressure of Formula 1 and the maturity shown by the youngster: “I don’t see why not. I am very happy for him, especially because F1 is a sport that puts on a lot of pressure.”
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The Pole also highlighted that Antonelli has already faced difficult moments before, especially last season, and noted the support around the driver: “In my opinion, he has already had enough of that in the past, especially last year, but he has people around him who care about him, who have invested a lot of time and money and recognized a unique talent. Now he is paying it back,” he added.
Kubica, however, stated that the battle is still just beginning. According to him, Antonelli himself is aware that the road to the title is long: “The road is still long, but he is well aware of that,” the former driver concluded.
Meanwhile, the season’s scenario promises to intensify. Antonelli’s strong start, combined with the natural pressure of leading the championship, increases expectations for the young Italian, who is trying to turn the good momentum into a solid year towards the Formula 1 title.
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