Kimi Antonelli is shining in his second year racing in Formula 1 and has dominated the 2026 season. And with the young Italian’s success, Stefano Domenicali, CEO of the category, reflected on the possibility of the driver becoming a symbol of the sport.
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In five races contested so far in the championship, the Mercedes driver has won no less than four, all consecutively. With this, he already leads the standings comfortably, maintaining a 43-point advantage over teammate George Russell.
The F1 executive then commented on the Seven Lines podcast about the 19-year-old competitor’s good phase and also reinforced the need to manage expectations. “Kimi Antonelli is an extraordinary talent,” he said.
“He is still a very natural person and does not yet have that, how can I say, ‘superstructure’ that comes with years of living in this environment, where from one day to the next you become a hero. What I wish for him is that he remains as he is for as long as possible. He is still young, comes from a family that has always supported and protected him, and from a team that has always believed in him,” he continued.
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“This needs to be recognized, but at the same time, we have to let him grow without putting too much pressure on him. He needs time to mature, although winning three GPs in a row is not something many achieve, so that shows how strong he is inside,” he added.
Domenicali also stated that he appreciates the innocence that Antonelli still maintains. “I also like these young people who are still, in a way, as 19-year-olds should be, with a bit of naivety. That’s really beautiful. But someone needs to help them understand that the world we live in is not always a world where people smile at you simply because they are genuinely happy with what you do. It’s a world where, sometimes, you need to build a shield,” he concluded.
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