Young Bologna-born driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli, who currently leads the Formula 1 World Championship, has admitted that his race starts remain a key area of concern in an otherwise outstanding start to the 2026 season. Despite winning two of the first three races and spending the entire month of April at the top of the standings due to cancelled Grands Prix in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, the Mercedes driver knows there is still important work to be done.
“Toto was very happy with the victory in Japan. But he will kick me in the backside for the start I had,” Antonelli said, openly acknowledging the issue that has affected several of his race weekends.
In what has been a dream start to 2026, Antonelli has already established himself as a leading figure in the championship battle, with Mercedes clearly providing a highly competitive package. The W17, along with its power unit, has shown from pre-season testing that it possesses strong performance potential, allowing the 19-year-old to immediately fight at the front.
However, expectations that Antonelli would consistently outperform an experienced and highly skilled teammate such as George Russell, at least from the very beginning of the season, were considered ambitious. Instead, the Italian rookie has not only matched expectations but exceeded them, benefiting from both strong pace and a series of favourable race circumstances.
In Japan in particular, Antonelli was the fastest and most competitive driver throughout the weekend, with his race pace already evident during Friday simulations in Free Practice 2. The intervention of the Safety Car simply opened a door that was already wide open thanks to his performance advantage.
While trophies are important, Antonelli and Mercedes are carefully analysing the details behind each result, particularly the sequence of events that led to victories in San Marino, where the driver is based. In Formula 1, small margins make a major difference, and the young Italian is fully aware that one of those margins is far from a minor detail: race starts.
Across three of the first four events of the season, including the Sprint in China, Kimi Antonelli has made several procedural mistakes at the start of races. These errors have been less costly than expected due to his strong race pace and a degree of good fortune, but they remain an area of concern.
In Australia, Antonelli arrived on the grid after completing the formation lap without battery power. This prevented him from performing burnouts to bring the rear tyres into the optimal temperature window and also left him without sufficient energy for the opening lap.
“I had a problem and I couldn’t even do burnouts while arriving on the grid because I had no power, and I was very worried because the car was not responding when I pressed the throttle. Then I stopped in my grid box and when I selected engine mode and saw zero on the battery, I got a bit scared,” he explained.
That race highlighted the strength of Ferrari at race starts and the only real advantage it currently holds over Mercedes power units. However, McLaren and Mercedes, particularly through George Russell, have since found ways to reduce Ferrari’s initial advantage off the line.
Drivers like Oscar Piastri and George Russell have demonstrated that the Mercedes power unit, built in Brixworth, has strong potential for competitive race starts. This is why Antonelli has identified starts as an area for personal improvement rather than a fundamental issue with the W17 itself.
In China, however, the Sprint race presented more serious difficulties. During the formation lap, a misunderstanding between Antonelli and his race engineer Peter Bonnington led to incorrect start map settings being selected. This resulted in a poor launch and eventually contributed to contact with Isack Hadjar, followed by a 10-second penalty to be served during a pit stop under the Safety Car triggered by Nico Hülkenberg’s retirement on lap 13.
In Japan, the issue was not related to formation lap procedures or engine mappings, but rather to the clutch paddle release timing. Antonelli admitted he was too aggressive with his inputs, and combined with rear tyre temperatures not being in the ideal window, the traction system suffered wheelspin that destroyed his pole position advantage from the previous day.
“I have to say that on Sunday in Japan I didn’t enjoy the victory as much as I should have because I was really annoyed about the start. I was obviously aware that I was very lucky despite everything. I was happy with how I made the most of the opportunity and with my race pace, but I was very angry about the start because it was shocking, really frustrating. I am already working on it,” Antonelli said.
This mindset is considered essential within Mercedes. Complacency is not an option, and this early success must serve as motivation to continue improving step by step, refining every aspect of performance and building toward the long-term goal of becoming a Formula 1 World Champion, as the team expects from him.
Antonelli has clearly understood the message from the opening races. The current break in the calendar is being used as an opportunity to improve weaknesses identified between Australia and Japan. To support this, he has had his steering wheel with personalised settings sent to his home in order to practise and refine procedures, aiming to avoid situations where he arrives on the grid without energy or mishandles clutch release timing.
“I think I released the clutch too quickly, more than I should have. I also had slightly colder tyres, so I exceeded the available grip and lost many positions,” he explained.
“I will definitely work on starts in the simulator, and my steering wheel with all my settings will arrive soon. I am already thinking about how to work on improving this area,” he added.
The current Formula 1 break in April can therefore be interpreted in two ways for the young Italian. On one hand, it interrupts a dream start to the season. On the other, it provides a valuable opportunity to refine his skills and continue his development as both a driver and a person at a very young age, with the ambition of becoming one of the key figures in Formula 1 not only in the future, but also in the present.
It is also worth noting that opportunities like this do not come often. Mercedes has produced one of the strongest car and power unit packages on the grid this season, and Antonelli shares a garage with one of the top three drivers in Formula 1 today, George Russell. While pressure is mainly on the British driver, failing to fully capitalise on this competitive package could become a long-term regret.
For this reason, Antonelli’s frustration after the Japan start is understandable and even positive in a competitive sense. Great champions pay attention to every detail, and in those details lies the difference between winning and losing in Formula 1, sometimes down to thousandths of a second that decide the most valuable outcomes in the sport.
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