Kimi Antonelli arrives at the Miami Grand Prix as the leader of the World Championship. A milestone—if we can call it that—achieved thanks to two victories and two consecutive pole positions in Asia. The standings are clear, with the Italian having scored 72 points compared to George Russell’s 63.
A gap of just nine points that can easily be overturned during the fourth round of the season. The fight involves Mercedes, Ferrari, and McLaren, but looking at the first three races, the real internal battle is between the two favourites of Toto Wolff.
During Thursday’s media day, the Italian driver shared his expectations ahead of the American weekend, starting from last year’s experience, the gap to rivals, race starts, and his relationship with his teammate.
Kimi Antonelli: “Miami will be tougher, rivals are closing in”
Kimi Antonelli was one of the key figures in the traditional F1 press conference, and his story begins with the 2025 season. Miami is not an unfamiliar circuit for car number 12, as it was here that he claimed his first Sprint pole position. A result that highlighted the Italian’s talent, especially considering it was a track he had only experienced in the simulator before.
“It’s very exciting to come back to a place where last year I got my first Sprint pole. Obviously this year will be different, with different cars, so we’ll see how it goes,” Antonelli said, before turning his attention to the current season.
Mercedes has a competitive power unit and, given the characteristics of the circuit, it is natural to expect them to fight again at the front. However, Kimi Antonelli cooled expectations, admitting that the competition will close the gap.
“It will be a very interesting weekend for us. We’ll see how we perform. Definitely our rivals will get closer and we will probably have to fight much harder this weekend,” he explained.
These words may also serve to “protect” expectations and shift attention to the topic of upgrades. While Ferrari, under Fred Vasseur, is expected to bring aerodynamic improvements, as reported by F1 Oversteer, Mercedes—as well as McLaren—are reportedly targeting the Canadian Grand Prix for major updates.
The key objective in Miami will therefore be to analyse performance against rivals, especially on the straights in sectors two and three, an area that traditionally suits the Silver Arrows. If rivals do close the gap in those sections, Antonelli’s warning may prove accurate.
Starts under scrutiny: “We are working to fix the issue”
If there is one area that has troubled Kimi Antonelli in the early part of the 2026 season, it is race starts. This was particularly visible in Australia and Japan, where the Italian lost positions off the line. At the end of the Japanese Grand Prix, he admitted it would be a key area of focus during the break.
“We did some start practice during the break,” he said. “I worked with the team to understand the issue and it seems we have identified it. Now we are trying to find a solution as soon as possible.”
Antonelli also stressed that the team has understood the root cause and that it is not a minor issue.
“It won’t be simple,” he explained, “because it requires a significant change in clutch management and also a bit in hand positioning. We are doing our best to find a solution as quickly as possible to improve starts.”
The goal will therefore be to monitor the behaviour of the W17 at the start during the Miami GP, with an added opportunity thanks to the Sprint race. If the fixes do not deliver the expected results, Antonelli believes the next two race weekends will provide additional time to work on improvements.
No comments were made regarding FIA changes, which for safety reasons introduced a system capable of detecting low-power starts and intervening with the MGU-K in case of abnormal acceleration.
Internal duel with Russell: “Freedom to race, but with respect”
The final topic addressed by Kimi Antonelli with journalists was his relationship with teammate George Russell. As mentioned earlier, the Italian currently leads him in the standings by nine points. It has been repeatedly noted that Russell never considered Antonelli a direct rival, only to find himself chasing him twice already this season.
This is a situation the British driver did not expect, something that is perhaps more visible in his expressions than in his post-session comments. At Mercedes, however, the rule has always been clear: the team comes first.
At the core is respect for those working at the factory, as well as the principle of giving equal opportunities to both drivers. They are free to race and “challenge” each other on track, but the priority remains bringing both cars to the finish.
Kimi Antonelli emphasised this clearly:
“The team has been very clear with us since the first race in Australia. They told us we can race each other, but with respect, without doing anything silly. At the end of the day, we are also racing for the team. We want to win, we want to be the best, but at the same time we want the best for the team.”
He concluded:
“George and I are fully aware that we can fight each other, but with respect and without doing anything stupid. The team has given us the green light because they want to give both of us the same opportunities. We can race, but in a clean way.”
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