The moment Antonelli knew he had been transformed as an F1 driver — SkimNews
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- Kimi Antonelli pinpointed a damp January test at Silverstone — just a few laps in the wet — as the moment he felt transformed in Mercedes' 2026 car: "less tense, more relaxed and more mature" than during his difficult 2025 debut
- After 14 grands prix, Antonelli sits 81 points clear of teammate George Russell, with either eight or nine races remaining depending on the war in the Middle East, and has won eight of those 14 races
- Antonelli says the Monza 2024 FP1 crash — which happened the day after Mercedes announced him as Lewis Hamilton's replacement — haunted him throughout 2025, leaving him "afraid to do a mistake" and slowing his progress
- Antonelli credits intensive pre-season work with a mental coach and a focus on staying present for unlocking his potential, calling his first win and first pole "a lot of weight off my shoulder"
- Russell has admitted to struggling and said his driving style does not suit this year's new cars, even as he has been quick to praise his teammate
- Antonelli won his home Monza Grand Prix from 19th on the grid — a result team principal Toto Wolff said "closed a cycle" from the 2024 crash — then won the Spanish GP seven days later after reminding himself not to repeat the post-Monaco overdriving mistake from Barcelona
- For the first time this year, Antonelli acknowledged the championship is on his mind; winning it would make him the youngest world champion in F1 history
Why it matters: An 81-point gap with under ten races left makes the 2026 title effectively Antonelli's barring dramatic misfortune, and a title would make the 20-year-old the youngest world champion in F1 history. His turnaround also sharpens the Russell question: Russell himself has conceded his driving style doesn't suit the new regulation-era cars, so Mercedes' intra-team contrast may be as much about regression on one side as growth on the other.
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