Kimi Antonelli says he has taken a “big step” in performance since his rookie F1 season, explaining where he still needs to improve as he enjoys a strong start to 2026.
The Mercedes youngster tops the Drivers’ Championship after back-to-back Grand Prix victories. He arrived in the sport as an untested 18-year-old last year and immediately impressed by being the only rookie to finish the treacherous wet Melbourne race. Promoted to a full-time seat by Toto Wolff, Antonelli showed promise but also endured a challenging debut campaign marked by accidents, poor qualifying results and reliability problems that led to a mid-season slump before he fought back to claim two podiums late in the year.
That progress has accelerated this season: Antonelli has won two of the opening three Grands Prix as Mercedes have emerged as the class of the field under the new regulations. After finishing second to team mate George Russell in the season-opener in Australia, the pair swapped places in China, and Antonelli then won in Japan with Russell fourth, giving Antonelli a nine-point lead in the Drivers’ Championship and making him the youngest driver ever to lead the standings.
Antonelli attributes much of his improvement to experience. “Big step,” he said after his Japan win when asked how much he had levelled up since his rookie year. “Experience does a lot. Last year I went through a lot and it taught me massively more than what I anticipated, and for sure it’s helping so far this year. Of course there’s still a lot of work to do, but I definitely feel much more in control of the situation.”
He also acknowledged the importance of the car and the team, saying he is grateful for what Mercedes have provided and determined to keep his head down to make the most of the opportunity.
Despite his strong start, Antonelli accepts Russell remains a benchmark, particularly in qualifying. “For sure it helps that everyone started from zero, but definitely I’ve been closing the gap with [Russell],” he said. “I think still in Qualifying he has the upper hand, especially when it comes to Q3. He’s always able to find that little bit of extra, which I’m working on. But in terms of race pace, I think we have a really strong base. I feel he’s obviously a super, super strong, very complete driver. I think he showed many times last year, and that’s why it’s not going to be easy, and that’s why I need to do everything as perfect as possible.”
As the intra-team battle between the Mercedes drivers is set to be a defining storyline of 2026, Antonelli will look to defend his championship lead when the season continues in Miami, a venue where he outperformed his team mate last season.