Antonelli keeps the focus narrow

Kimi Antonelli says he is “not worrying about” the possibility of going head-to-head with Mercedes team-mate George Russell in the Formula 1 world championship.

The teenager heads into F1’s April break with a nine-point lead over Russell after winning the Japanese Grand Prix, while Russell finished fourth at Suzuka. That result pushed Antonelli to the top of the drivers’ standings, making him the youngest driver ever to lead the championship and beating Lewis Hamilton’s 2007 record by nearly three years. Small matter, really.

With Mercedes’ W17 looking like the class of the field in F1 2026 so far, the team appears headed for its first real intra-team title fight since the Hamilton-Nico Rosberg years between 2014 and 2016.

But Antonelli insists that is not where his head is right now.

“No, I’m not worrying about that, to be fair. I’m just going to focus on myself, on what I need to do, trying to get everything right in terms of procedure, starts, and driving,” Antonelli told media, including RacingNews365, when asked whether tensions with Russell could become an issue.

He added that he expects the fight at the front to tighten as the season goes on.

“I know how strong George is, and for sure it’s going to be very hard. Plus, I think Ferrari and McLaren will get closer, so it’s going to be important to stay on top of the game, as I said before, keep raising the bar.

“But I’m not focusing on or worrying about this at the moment. I'm just going to try to make the best out of the break and try to see how I can improve those areas in order to be back stronger.”

A driver who says he feels more in control

Antonelli also pointed to the progress he has made since last year, saying the lessons he picked up have already made a difference.

“I've made a big step, obviously, last year I went through a lot, and it taught me massively more than what I anticipated, and for sure it’s helping so far this year.

“Of course, there’s still a lot of work to do, but I definitely feel much more in control of the situation. The car helps, and I’m going to try to be ready and everything because it’s one of those opportunities that don’t happen every day.

“So obviously, yeah, really, really grateful with the car that the team has provided us so far, and yeah, I just need to keep my head down.”