Monza comeback, Spa response: writers’ picks from Antonelli’s title season

Kimi Antonelli clinched his first Formula 1 title in Mexico with four rounds to spare, becoming the championship’s youngest-ever world champion. Autosport’s writers point to different moments across the campaign, from his recovery after a practice crash to his response to George Russell’s challenge.

The earliest pick came in Melbourne. Filip Cleeren highlights Antonelli’s response to a 25G crash in FP3: Mercedes rebuilt the car, Antonelli took second on the grid and, after a poor start dropped him to sixth, recovered to finish second. Ewan Gale sees Canada as the first meaningful duel with Russell for the lead; a mechanical failure ended the fight while Russell was still ahead. Stuart Codling chooses Monaco, where Antonelli took pole and his fifth consecutive victory. Codling saw the performance as evidence of a more measured side to Antonelli’s driving on a circuit where mistakes can end a race.

By Spa, car-related non-scores in Austria and Britain had helped reduce Antonelli’s lead to 25 points, as Russell won once and finished runner-up twice. Ed Hardy picked Belgium as Antonelli’s answer: he took pole and passed Charles Leclerc after a virtual safety car to win. Russell retired after a first-lap clash with Lewis Hamilton, and Antonelli’s lead grew to 50 points. Hardy saw the weekend as a check on Russell’s rising challenge.

Ben Vinel’s later choice is Monza, where Antonelli won from 19th on the grid. After a pit stop he rejoined 14 seconds behind Russell, but had caught his team-mate with six laps remaining. Vinel thought it was probably the strongest drive of Antonelli’s 2026 season.

In Baku, Jake Boxall-Legge saw a test of damage limitation: Antonelli started 16th after a qualifying crash, but Russell gained only 15 points on him. Ronald Vording’s choice was Austin, Antonelli’s first chance to clinch the title; Vording regarded it as his most complete F1 performance to that point. Together, the picks suggest that Antonelli’s rise was not one breakthrough but a season of answering different challenges.