(Motorsport-Total.com) – In only his second year in Formula 1, Kimi Antonelli leads the Drivers’ World Championship for the first time. The Italian naturally benefits from his car, as the Mercedes W17 is the best package in the early stages of the new era in the premier class.
Read more «Quite a lot of porcelain has been smashed»: Wolff’s stance on a Horner return
But Antonelli emphasizes that he himself has also made a “big step” forward compared to 2025. This is not surprising, as in his debut season, for example, all the tracks were new territory for the teenager. This year, he already knows the circuits.
And apart from that, the 19-year-old emphasizes: “Experience makes a big difference. Of course, I went through a lot last year, and that taught me far more than I expected. And it definitely helps me this year as well so far.”
“Of course, there is still a lot to do, but I definitely feel like I have the situation much better under control,” says Antonelli, who already showed an upward trend at the end of 2025. In the final phase of the season, he finished on the podium twice in a row in Brazil and Las Vegas.
In 2026, he also benefits from the new regulations, which all drivers first have to get used to. “It certainly helps that everyone started from zero,” he himself emphasizes. Because the cars are completely new, he no longer has a disadvantage compared to the established drivers in this regard.
Antonelli admits: Russell is still better there
This also applies to his teammate George Russell, who is already driving his eighth Formula 1 season in 2026. In the World Championship, however, he fell behind Antonelli in Japan. “I think in qualifying he still has the edge, especially in Q3,” Antonelli admits.
Read more «Turning point»: Is the April break the last chance for Williams?
“He always manages to get that little bit extra out. I’m still working on that. As far as race pace is concerned, I think we have a really strong basis,” says the Italian. In Suzuka, he was the fastest man in the field on Sunday.
Suzuka: The driver ratings from Marc Surer and the editorial team
About Russell, he says: “He is obviously an extremely strong, very complete driver. I think he proved that many times last year, and that’s why it won’t be easy. Therefore, I have to do everything as perfectly as possible [to beat him].”
At least currently, there seems to be no other team in the field that can seriously challenge Mercedes in the World Championship. If things stay this way in the coming months, it could come down to an internal duel for the title between Antonelli and Russell.
Should that be the case, Antonelli would probably be much better equipped for it than he would have been last year.