After three consecutive victories, it is also time to take a closer look at the weak points shown by the Italian driver up to the Miami Grand Prix.
The Mercedes #12 has been on everyone’s lips in recent days, and for good reason given the scale of his results. Three consecutive pole positions were converted into victories in China, Japan, and the United States. The latest race, held in Miami, further strengthens his lead in the drivers’ standings, where he now holds a 20-point advantage over his teammate George Russell: here is the classification.
The 2006-born driver has clearly shown he has what it takes to fight for the title, but not everything that glitters is gold. To enter the elite of Formula 1 drivers, which is Kimi Antonelli’s ultimate goal, there are still imperfections that need to be addressed. Every point matters, and even though perfection does not exist, there is always room for improvement. The two main Achilles’ heels of the Mercedes driver are race starts and sprint races.
The weaknesses of Kimi Antonelli: race starts
As long as on Sundays Kimi is able to recover all positions lost at the start, his race launches will not be a serious issue. However, sooner or later the day will come when a poor qualifying result forces him into an almost impossible comeback. For this reason, it is important that the Italian improves as much as possible in the opening phase of the race.
In preparation for the Miami Grand Prix, Antonelli worked extensively in the simulator, completing around 150 starts one after another, but the training has not yet produced the desired results.
His teammate Russell has also consistently had poor starts this season, although he tends to lose fewer positions than Kimi. McLaren, on the other hand, has been very strong off the line in almost every race, which clearly shows that Mercedes’ slow starts are not related to the power unit itself. The issue therefore lies in finding the right compromise, something the championship leader has not yet achieved in four Grands Prix and two sprint events.
The challenge is to avoid excessive wheelspin while still keeping the engine in the optimal rev range to ensure correct turbo operation. That is the theoretical target, but so far it has been difficult to achieve in practice.
It is probably impossible to reach the level of perfection that Ferrari consistently demonstrates. However, as shown by McLaren and even Alpine, a good start with the Mercedes power unit is absolutely achievable; it simply requires the right balance and continued practice. Antonelli must keep working on this area, because his feeling with the car in both qualifying and race pace is already close to perfection.
The weaknesses of Kimi Antonelli: sprint races
Out of the four Grands Prix held so far in 2026, two sprint races have taken place. In both cases, the Bologna-born driver struggled significantly and failed to score a podium, despite winning the main race on the following day.
Antonelli’s difficulties in sprint races are the result of poor starts combined with less time available to recover lost positions. In addition, his race pace without tyre management has not been strong, neither in China nor in Miami.
The points awarded in sprint races are limited (eight for the winner), but as demonstrated by last year’s world championship battle between Lando Norris, Max Verstappen, and Oscar Piastri, every single point counts. Moreover, finishing in the top positions in Saturday sprints is also a valuable source of data for engineers, who play an increasingly central role in modern Formula 1.
For this reason, the remaining four sprint races in Canada, Great Britain, the Netherlands, and Singapore will be important. Among them, Montréal will be a perfect benchmark, as the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve has historically been a strong track for Mercedes.
To become the best version of himself, it is right for Antonelli to analyse his weaknesses. Despite his young age, he is a very mature driver. With calmness and composure, especially given his current position in the standings, he will certainly be able to improve his weak points, moving ever closer to his dream of becoming World Champion.
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