Andrea Stella has praised the impressive development of Kimi Antonelli following the 2026 Miami GP weekend, with the McLaren Team Principal highlighting the young Mercedes driver’s consistency and speed during the early stages of the season.
Antonelli, who is currently in just his second Formula 1 campaign at only 19 years old, has continued to attract attention across the paddock with a series of mature performances. Speaking after the Miami GP, Stella acknowledged both the Italian driver’s individual growth and the wider work being done around him at Mercedes.
Stella impressed by Antonelli’s consistency and execution after 2026 F1 Miami GP
While many expected George Russell to maintain the upper hand at Mercedes following pre-season testing and the opening round in Australia, Stella admitted that Antonelli’s performances since then have changed perceptions inside the paddock. The McLaren Team Principal explained that the Italian’s speed across both qualifying and race conditions has been particularly impressive.
“We should really pay credit to the quality of the driving, the consistency, the speed, in both a single lap in the race and the overall execution. We should pay credit to what Kimi is showing. He’s actually delivering on track. I would have said after the testing that George was in a stronger position, which was the case in Australia, but for some reason things seem to have turned around.”
Antonelli’s performances throughout the opening phase of the season have reinforced Mercedes’ confidence in the young driver after promoting him to Formula 1 at a very early stage of his career.
Andrea Stella highlights importance of team environment around Antonelli
Stella also underlined the importance of the environment surrounding Antonelli at Mercedes, noting that success in Formula 1 rarely comes from the driver alone. The Italian believes the strong relationship between Antonelli and his engineers has played a key role in accelerating his progress during only his second year in the sport.
“Once again, I think this is thanks to the good work that Kimi must be doing with his engineers and with the people around him. There’s always a group of people around the driver, and success comes because this synergy works. And I think Kimi must be having all these conditions in place. Well done to Kimi, well done to Mercedes.”
Mercedes have historically placed strong emphasis on developing young talent, and Antonelli’s rise through the junior categories already marked him as one of the most highly rated prospects in recent years before his Formula 1 promotion. His ability to adapt quickly to the demands of Formula 1 has only strengthened that reputation during the opening races of 2026.
Stella confident in McLaren driver line-up despite Miami challenge
Despite praising Antonelli and Mercedes, Stella also lauded McLaren’s own driver pairing following the F1 2026 Miami GP weekend. The McLaren Team Principal pointed to Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris’ recent performances as proof that the team still possesses one of the strongest line-ups on the grid. Stella admitted that McLaren’s main focus now remains improving outright car performance as the battle at the front intensifies.
“At the same time, I think we have seen for McLaren, if I may say, that in Japan, with a car that wasn’t competitive yet, Oscar was in condition to fight for the win again and score a podium. Oscar confirming a podium finish here, and Lando won in the sprint and [was] in the fight for the victory here. So I think when we look in particular at the Constructors’ Championship, I think we are, from a driver’s point of view, probably the strongest pair. And we want to capitalise on this strength that we have at McLaren, but we need to make the car a little bit faster.”
McLaren remain firmly involved in the fight at the front of the Constructors’ Championship. However, Stella’s comments after the F1 2026 Miami GP suggest the team is aware that further development will be necessary to consistently challenge rivals such as Mercedes across the remainder of the 2026 Formula 1 season.
