The 2026 F1 season is proving to be a remarkable campaign for Mercedes F1’s Kimi Antonelli, who has already achieved a podium finish, two wins, and two pole positions. Heading into the month-long break, the 19 year-old stormed to victory in Suzuka, extending his championship lead to 9 points over his teammate George Russell ahead of the next race in Miami.
Antonelli, now in his second F1 season, has found strong momentum in the dominant W17, that has secured all three Grand Prix race wins so far. Speaking in a recent media session, the Italian reflected on the first three races of the season and his impressive run of results.
“Well, I mean, definitely, I think it’s been a better start than what we all anticipated and hoped for, at least on my side. And I think definitely it’s been a very strong start of the season. And definitely, you know, expectation automatically; they’re a bit different now.”
“But at the end of the day, I still try to, you know, keep the same mindset that as I had in the first three races. But just, keep focusing on what I have to do, you know, on the goal. And, just trying to put myself in the best position as possible to then achieve a great result.”
Focus remains on maximising the W17
While he acknowledged that his strong start has put him in a favourable position to consider what they can achieve in the long term, Antonelli emphasized that he remains focused on maximizing the car each weekend and staying in the present.
“What I don’t want to do is, you know, now that obviously we’re in a good position is start to think about the final result or a long term result. So, 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.”
The Italian also remains aware of the tough competition he faces from Russell and the rest of the grid, who are expected to gradually close the gap to Mercedes.
The 19 year-old added: “And, yeah, focusing on the process and then, you know, little by little trying to raise the bar, raise the game, because obviously, you know, George is super strong and competitors will get closer. So, yeah, I just need to keep doing what I’m doing, but just trying to raise the bar little by little.”
A month of reflection
“Well, I’m not going to lie. I mean, the break on one side has been good, but now it starts to feel a bit too long, to be fair.”, said Antonelli.
Eager to get back on track, Antonelli shared how he has been using the time off to reflect and to stay active as a gap in the calendar opened up following the cancellation of the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian GPs.
“I just really want to go back on track. I did, obviously, the Pirelli tyre test a couple of days ago and also I did some GT driving.”
“I’ve been trying to stay active during this break because, yeah, it was good to have a bit of time to reflect on the first three races, what has happened, trying to also realise, you know, the win, in general, everything that has happened.”
“And also it was good time to reflect on why the weekends went well, you know, what I did well and where I could have done a little bit better. So 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’ve been trying to make the best out of it” — Antonelli on the month-long break
Despite the break, he explained that he has been pushing hard with his training. With several triple-headers to come, Antonelli emphasized the importance of using the time to recharge for the long season ahead, even as he admits he’s eager to get back racing.
He said: “Also, I’m pushing quite a lot in the training just to, you know, be as fit as possible. I mean, 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, physical level as well, during the whole season.”
“So, yeah, just it’s been, obviously, it starts to feel very long and I really miss racing. But yeah, I’ve been trying to make the best out of it. Actually, it’s been, on one side, really useful.”
