– Kimi Antonelli impresses not only with his results but increasingly with his mental strength. The 20-year-old Mercedes driver leads the Formula 1 World Championship after his eighth win of the season at the Spanish Grand Prix with an 81-point lead over teammate George Russell.
Read more Formula 2 inflates Baku weekend: hint at the Formula 1 calendar?
For Formula 1 expert Nico Rosberg, it is especially remarkable how confidently Antonelli handles the growing pressure in the championship battle. “We are all human. He is not a superhuman,” Rosberg says in an interview with Sky Sports F1 after the first Formula 1 race on the new Madring circuit in Madrid. The 2016 world champion recalls his own situation during his title campaign.
Rosberg explains that the pressure on himself towards the end of the 2016 season was enormous: “I was absolutely very scared, so it was difficult to drive properly.”
“The closer I got to the end of the season, the more impossible it became for me to win races or get pole positions because my head was so dominated by the fear of losing my dream through a stupid mistake or something that can easily happen,” he looks back.
Rosberg expects exactly this effect with Antonelli as well: “At some point, he will have to feel that a bit. But so far, it is incredible how consistent and mature he is. Even Toto [Wolff; Mercedes team principal] can’t believe it.”
Antonelli continues to pull away
Before the 2026 season started, Antonelli’s experienced teammate at Mercedes, George Russell, was actually considered one of the big title favorites. However, after two consecutive wins in China and Japan, Antonelli became the youngest driver in Formula 1 history to take the lead in the world championship.
Since then, the Italian has further solidified his position. The win at the first Grand Prix on the Madring was already his eighth victory of the season. Russell finished fifth in Madrid and is now 81 points behind his teammate.
While the paddock wonders when the title fight might start to mentally burden the young Mercedes driver, he continues to deliver consistently strong performances.
Wolff: “Sometimes a bit too cool”
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff is also impressed by Antonelli’s handling of pressure. In Madrid, he described his driver as exceptionally calm. “I think he is cool, sometimes even a bit too cool!” Wolff said. As an example, he mentioned a scene shortly before the end of the race: Antonelli brushed the wall five laps from the finish and then only reported over the radio: “Check the car.”
Read more Bovensiepen Spider: Limited special edition based on the BMW Z4
How the wrong winner won the Spanish GP | Race F1 Madrid 2026
Wolff had to chuckle about it: “You think to yourself: ‘Really, again, white lines, walls?’ But maybe that’s exactly how he stays in the tunnel.”
Antonelli’s age could actually be an advantage, speculates the experienced Formula 1 team principal. “His youth almost helps him a lot because he is 20. He could stay in this sport for 20 years and would have so many opportunities.”
But even now, the young Italian exceeds the expectations of Mercedes as well as his own “by far,” says Wolff. “He just lets things come to him.”
Wolff also suspects a genetic factor
For Wolff, Antonelli’s composure is not solely a matter of his age or training. “I believe a genetic factor also plays a role. Either you are born with this coolness or not,” says the Austrian.
This trait was already noticeable in the junior series and karting. Some drivers can simply handle pressure better than others.
“He has taken it to another level. We are talking about Formula 1 here. You see junior drivers in Formula 2 who break down under pressure,” Wolff knows. Antonelli, on the other hand, seems so far to find exactly the balance between risk-taking and control that Mercedes expects.
At the same time, Wolff makes it clear that the team does not want to push the young Italian to unnecessary risks despite his extraordinary speed. The directive is primarily to safely bring the car to the finish and collect points.
“We told him: ‘This is a race where we have to bring it home. We have to get points, whether P2 or P5, we don’t care. Just bring the car home.’ He does that and drives fast at the same time,” Wolff praises his protégé.
