Antonelli says Silverstone wet laps were the moment he felt transformed as an F1 driver

Kimi Antonelli says he knew from the first moment he drove this year’s Mercedes at Silverstone on a damp, cold January day that he would be transformed as a Formula 1 driver in 2026, and he leads the drivers’ championship by 81 points going into the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

The 20-year-old Italian, now in only his second season in F1, reflected on a difficult debut year and his breakthrough in an exclusive interview with BBC Sport. He recalled that initial Silverstone outing in the wet and said: "It was just a few laps in the wet, 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." He described 2025 as "not great" and added: "I was driving very tense most of the time, I wasn't able to extract the potential out of me. This year, it's a lot different. The mindset has been the biggest change."

After 14 grands prix this season, Antonelli sits 81 points clear of team-mate George Russell, with either eight or nine races remaining depending on the war in the Middle East. He said he is "still finding my way" in F1 and admitted he is "surprised" by how much he has progressed since being comprehensively outperformed by Russell in 2025. When Mercedes began the new regulatory era with an early advantage, Russell started the season as championship favourite and won the opening race in Australia; Antonelli was "less than three seconds behind him at the flag," which the driver says was a second moment of realisation about his form.

Antonelli recounted a heavy crash in FP3 during that early race weekend and credited his mechanics with enabling a rapid recovery: "I had a big, big crash in FP3," he said, "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." He added that the crash "definitely... compromised a little bit qualifying and the race" but that being able to stay close despite the setback showed a different story compared to the previous year: "If it would have happened last year, I wouldn't have been able to overcome that."

Antonelli’s first F1 season was overshadowed by a crash at the 2024 Italian Grand Prix, the day after Mercedes had formally announced him as the replacement for Ferrari-bound Lewis Hamilton, when he crashed heavily on his second flying lap in first practice at Monza. Team principal Toto Wolff downplayed the incident at the time, saying he expected mistakes while Antonelli found his feet. Antonelli said the Monza episode "stayed in my head for a very long time" and that the memory fuelled an enduring fear of making mistakes during 2025: "This memory of being afraid to do a mistake... was even stronger in my head," he said, adding that he has now been able to put it behind him.

He credited intensive pre-season preparation and work with a mental coach for extracting more from his potential this year. "The mindset going into this season, it was mainly trying to be able to extract more out of my potential," Antonelli said. "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."

Antonelli pointed to highs and lows this season — a dominant Monaco victory followed by an overdrive in Barcelona — and to his home success at Monza, where he recovered from 19th on the grid to win; Wolff said that result "closed a cycle" from his 2024 crash. He then won the Spanish Grand Prix seven days later, his eighth victory from 14 races so far this season. On consistency he said he had found "a nice rhythm in the season" and that routines helped him stay ready: "I always try to follow my routines... I try to approach it all the time the same. I'm still finding my way, but I've found a way that helps me to be consistent and also helps me to be consistently ready when I go in the car."

Success has brought increased attention and altered his life. "Life has changed a lot," Antonelli said. "I'm not going to lie. It's been a big change, but it's nice to see so much support. Definitely, one side is very nice, but on the other side, you have to be careful. You've got to protect yourself a bit more because obviously you're more exposed." He confirmed the title has entered his thoughts: "Yes, I thought about it," he said, and added, "But again, thinking about it, I came always to the same conclusion that the earlier I finish all this, the better it is. So I've got to just keep pushing. I keep doing the best I can every race. Because, yeah, that's the way. Just not finish. And until it's done, it's not over."

Antonelli heads to the Azerbaijan Grand Prix with an 81-point lead and the season reduced to either eight or nine remaining races; he says his focus remains on doing his best at each event until the championship is decided.