Kimi Antonelli turned the difficulties faced in his debut Formula 1 season last year into fuel for the title fight in 2026. The Mercedes driver stated that the bad moments of 2025 were fundamental for his emotional and mental growth.
After twelve rounds held so far, Antonelli leads the championship with a 59-point advantage over George Russell and Lewis Hamilton, who are tied with 183 points. In addition, the Italian has six wins, against two from Russell and one from Hamilton, an advantage that would also be decisive in case of a tie in points.
The performance represents a significant improvement compared to last year. After a promising start, Antonelli went through a difficult period during the European part of the season, even having his performance at the Italian GP described as ‘disappointing’ by Mercedes boss Toto Wolff.
In 2026, however, the scenario changed. Antonelli won five consecutive races between China and Monaco, and is now on track to break Sebastian Vettel’s record as the youngest champion in history, surpassing the German’s mark by more than three years.
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Explaining this evolution, the young Italian highlighted the importance of the experiences accumulated during his first season: “Of course, I still have a lot of experience to gain, but I think last year, despite all the bad moments and difficult periods, that was exactly what I needed,” Antonelli told F1.com.
The driver emphasized that the difficulties had a direct impact on his preparation for the current fight: “It helped me grow even more than I expected. It made me stronger emotionally and mentally,” he added.
Despite the current lead in the standings, Antonelli stressed that the fight is far from decided: “The work is not over yet. We are only halfway, and there is still a lot that needs to happen and much to be achieved,” he concluded.
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