Kimi Antonelli has opened up about who poses the biggest threat to his maiden Drivers’ Championship bid going forward, his approach to take each race as it comes, whether Mercedes still have an edge over the rest of the F1 grid, and their Sepang upgrades heading into the 2026 Azerbaijan GP weekend.
Climbing onto the top step of the podium yet again at Madring, the Italian now has 8 wins and 4 more podiums under his belt after 14 rounds. He has extended his championship lead to 81 points over Mercedes teammate George Russell, who sits second in the Drivers’ standings.
Meanwhile, the Brackley-based outfit is also tipped to win the Constructors’ title this year. Ferrari and McLaren are currently trailing them by 145 and 197 points, respectively.
Antonelli identifies potential threats to his F1 championship bid in 2026
Speaking in a print media session in the lead-up to the 2026 Azerbaijan GP weekend, Kimi Antonelli shared his thoughts on what could possibly prevent him from securing the F1 Drivers’ Championship this season.
Noting how a technical sport like F1 can be unpredictable at times—with the title fight suddenly getting turned on its head—the 20-year-old stated that he seeks to put his best foot forward every round until he manages to get the job done.
Antonelli also acknowledged that claiming his first championship faster wouldn’t be a walk in the park since McLaren are attempting to stage a comeback with Lando Norris. Furthermore, he identified Max Verstappen—buoyed by Red Bull’s upgrades—and the Ferrari drivers as additional threats who could spice up the title fight.
“I think it’s not over until it’s over, you know, until you cross that finish line, the job is not finished. So, that’s why it’s really important to keep giving my best every race because the sooner it’s over, the better it is.
“But for sure, it’s not going to be easy because the others are very fast. McLaren is in a very strong form, especially with Lando [Norris]. Red Bull with Max [Verstappen] is always there, and they seem to be bringing upgrades this weekend. So, they might be up there. And Ferrari, you never know with Ferrari, the pace is there also for them.”
Approach for the 2026 Azerbaijan GP and the remainder of the season
With regard to how he copes with the pressure and whether his approach to take the remaining rounds on a race-by-race basis is a difficult one, Kimi Antonelli said that he manages to do so because of the strong support system he has around him.
Emphasising how he has abided by this principle since the very beginning, Antonelli asserted that he will continue to concentrate his efforts on getting the most out of his W17 in Azerbaijan and in the remaining events of the 2026 F1 campaign.
“On my side, as I said many times, obviously it’s easier said than done, as you said. But because I’ve got such a great support around me, I’ve got a great family, great team, they help me to keep myself grounded and to just really focus race by race, focus on what I have to do in the present, and keep delivering the best I can whenever I go in the car.”
“Because that’s the way, that’s the approach I’ve had all year long, and that’s the approach I’m going to have until the end of the year.”
Antonelli on whether Mercedes’s momentum can last long enough to bring the F1 championships home in 2026
With respect to Mercedes having introduced their last major upgrade package in Montreal and whether the pace advantage they currently have is enough to keep their rivals at bay until the season comes to a close, Kimi Antonelli highlighted the versatility of the W17 ahead of the 2026 Azerbaijan GP.
The Bologna native referred to the recent races in Zandvoort and Madrid and argued that the W17 hasn’t been the fastest car in every single round. At the same time, he acknowledged that boasting a single-seater that has performed very well at many different circuits so far bodes well for the rest of their campaign since Mercedes are finally implementing their next set of big upgrades in Malaysia.
“I think our car has been super strong, very solid in all tracks.
“I don’t think we’ve always been the fastest. In Madrid, we weren’t the fastest. You know, McLaren was really the fastest, together with Lando. I think also Lando was driving very well, and then obviously with a bit of luck we came away with the win.
“I think our car has been very solid, very consistent at the front, not always the fastest, depending on the track. You know, Zandvoort, we weren’t the fastest. Madrid, as I said, we weren’t the fastest. Miami, I think as well, we weren’t the fastest car.
“But you know, we’ve always been around there. If I have to be honest, our car has always been very strong, and then it’s going to be interesting with the upgrades.”
Antonelli discusses Mercedes upgrades for Sepang
Drawing attention to the unique characteristics of the Sepang International Circuit, Kimi Antonelli stated that Mercedes bringing forth upgrades to Malaysia would allow them to assess one of their current weaknesses and look for appropriate solutions.
The 6-time polesitter explained that they are looking forward to testing if the W17 still struggles with high tyre degradation and overheating at highly abrasive circuits. He appeared cautiously optimistic that the addition of more downforce with the new upgrade package could resolve the issue.
“Sepang is a very difficult track with the tyres, very open tarmac. It’s a feature that, you know, our car suffers a little bit from it. So, it will be good to see with the upgrades if we can find more pace in this kind of tarmac.
“I think in the tarmacs where, you know, they’ve been just resurfaced, so very close tarmac, with low tyre deg, low overheating, our car has always been strong. But in those tracks where the tarmac is a bit more open, and there’s a lot of tyre deg and overheating, we struggle a little bit more.
“So, Sepang is going to be a very good test with the upgrades. With more downforce in the car, it’s going to be interesting to see if we can fix that as well.”
