Kimi Antonelli says wet Silverstone test convinced him 2026 season would be transformation

Antonelli points to January Silverstone running as turning point

Kimi Antonelli says he knew from the first moment he drove this year’s Mercedes that he would be transformed as a Formula 1 driver in 2026. The 20-year-old Italian, who is leading the drivers’ championship by 81 points going into the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, is reflecting on his breakthrough year in an exclusive interview with BBC Sport.

External expectations were low after a difficult debut season last year. On a typically damp and cold January day at Silverstone, Antonelli sensed something special.

"It was just a few laps in the wet," Antonelli says, "but I just felt better in the car, much better than I felt last year. Also the car felt well, but I just felt better mentally in the car. Less tense, more relaxed and more mature."

Last year, he says, was "not great".

"I was driving very tense most of the time, I wasn't able to extract the potential out of me," he says. "This year, it's a lot different. The mindset has been the biggest change."

From Australia crash to championship control

After 14 grands prix, and with either eight or nine remaining depending on the war in the Middle East, Antonelli is a massive 81 points clear of team-mate George Russell. He looks in control, fast and composed in every grand prix.

Even then, Antonelli says he is "still finding my way" in F1.

The 2025 season saw him comprehensively outperformed by Russell. When it was obvious Mercedes would start the new regulatory era with an advantage, it was the Briton who started the season as championship favourite.

Russell duly won the opening race in Australia, but Antonelli was less than three seconds behind him at the flag. Antonelli said this was the second moment of realisation.

"I had a big, big crash in FP3," Antonelli recalls. "But then thanks to the mechanics - who all throughout the season have done an incredible job, but on that specific occasion, it is a miracle - I was able to go back in the car and push again in the high speed and getting close to the limit."

"The crash, definitely it compromised a little bit qualifying and the race because we couldn't set up properly the car. I mean, the car was still very quick. But it was not easy."

"Still being able to stay close despite that, I was like, 'OK, you know, it's not going to be a walk in the park. It's going to be very tough', but I knew already that it was a different story compared to last year."

"If it would have happened last year, I wouldn't have been able to overcome that."

Monza 2024 crash still haunted 2025

Antonelli’s first season in F1 was haunted by an incident the first time he drove on a grand prix weekend. At the 2024 Italian Grand Prix, the day before Mercedes formally announced Antonelli as the replacement for Ferrari-bound Lewis Hamilton, he was given an FP1 outing at Monza. He was blindingly fast on his first flying lap but then crashed heavily on his second.

Team principal Toto Wolff played it down at the time, saying mistakes were expected as Antonelli found his feet. Behind the scenes the incident had a big impact.

"Monza stayed in my head for a very long time," Antonelli says. "I think all throughout last season, at least. Definitely that was a big thing that was kind of slowing me down."

"This memory of being afraid to do a mistake, also because going through the difficult period (in the middle of 2025), this memory was even stronger in my head, if you know what I mean."

"Because it was already a difficult period and I was like, 'If I even do a mistake or I crash, it's even worse.' So yeah, it's been a thing that has been bothering me a lot last year. This year I was able to just put it behind."

Work behind the scenes

Putting it behind involved analysing what happened in 2025, understanding what had gone well and what had not, and how to improve.

"The mindset going into this season, it was mainly trying to be able to extract more out of my potential," Antonelli says. "Trying to, first of all, do a better job than previous year. But as well trying to put things more together."

"The preparation that I did in pre-season was very, very intense. But it helped me a lot to arrive ready for this season."

"Plus, I did a lot of work with my mental coach. Trying to get my head right, my thoughts right on understanding the goal, and understanding that the most important thing is to be ready and to stay present in the moment."

"Not trying to think about final results or what would happen if I wouldn't achieve that. But just trying to be present and trying to do the best with what you can do in the moment."

First win and pole lifted weight

Antonelli admits to being "definitely surprised" at how much progress he has made.

"I knew that I was going to be better than my first year," he says. "Obviously, because I think last year, towards the end of the season, I started to put things more together, starting to extract more performance. But still, it was still not great. Whereas this year, it's a lot different. Also as well, with the first win, the first pole, it took a lot of weight off my shoulder."

He now finds a nice rhythm, following routines and approaching each weekend the same. There are still misjudgements, such as Barcelona-Catalunya just days after his outstanding win in Monaco.

"Monaco was a very high moment for me in the season, and then I went to Barcelona and I was probably a bit too excited, especially over a single lap," he says. "So I was overdriving, I was chasing the lap time and the result didn't come in qualifying. I was actually a bit far back and didn't do a good lap."

"But that's because I was trying to do a bit too much after a very high moment in my career. And then I understood that that is not the way."

Russell has admitted to struggling this year, suggesting his driving style does not suit the new cars, while Antonelli is always fast, always composed and a factor in every grand prix.

Asked how much of the gap is Antonelli stepping up versus Russell falling back, Antonelli replied: "That's a very difficult question. I've definitely stepped up."

"This year definitely everything is new. So it requires also a little bit of a different approach. And trying to adapt to a different car, which hasn't been easy."